If you thought the concept of co-op was limited to US and UK bookstores, think again. Helsingin Sandomat spotlights what’s been happening in Finland on the publishing front; For example, Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, the largest Finnish bookstore chain, is selling prominent display spots to publishers in the same way as it is selling them advertising space. Premium promotion spaces include for instance the reservation of a front-of-store table or a display window at each outlet. Another alternative is to buy a display stand outside a shop.
“The promotion spaces at our stores are not automatically subject to a charge. We discuss them separately with publishers”, notes Director Kristiina Rantanen, who is in charge of purchasing at Suomalainen Kirjakauppa. However, certain premium have definite prices. For example, the hiring of a display spot for two weeks at the bookstore’s outlet in the Kamppi shopping centre cost EUR 700 in 2006. And that makes some publishers upset. “Previously we used to discuss campaigns together. Now we are given a list of tariffs and told to take it or leave it”, said one anonymous person who works in the marketing department of a Finnish publishing company. But Rantanen rejects the accusation that the publishers were demanded to take care of marketing activities on behalf of the retailers. “We ourselves pay 70 to 75 per cent of our marketing costs”, she argues.