Year: 2025

The Finnish Commerce Federation supports the liberalisation of the sale of over-the-counter medicines outside pharmacies, as in the other Nordic countries. However, in the model proposed by the government, the benefits for consumers threaten to be minor. The range to be liberated should be expanded and the sales operating model should be significantly corrected.

According to the Finnish Commerce Federation’s forecast, the growth of commerce will only start to show next year when geopolitical changes keep both consumers and wholesale trade customer companies cautious. Although the declining employment situation has increased the caution of consumers, the increasing purchasing power is gradually starting to be reflected in retail sector sales. However, the employment rate of the private sector’s by far largest employer, commerce, continues to decline. Political decision-makers should remember that significant growth in employment is difficult to achieve without vital commerce and other service sectors.

Tourism to Finland is growing fast, and especially the number of tourists from outside the EU is increasing rapidly. This provides significant opportunities for tax-free sales, which are an important part of the retail trade. However, the current tax refund system is inefficient and complicated – a reform would be urgently needed.

The European Commission has proposed the introduction of a processing fee of two euros to the member states as part of a customs reform that would only enter into force at the end of the decade. 4.6 billion parcels flow from online marketplaces to the EU market, a significant proportion of which do not meet the requirements of EU regulation. The proposed processing fee will not change the current situation.

Last year, the consumer market for cosmetics* in Finland reached nearly EUR 1.4 billion. However, growth in the coming years will be slower than international development. Export potential for Finnish brands and online stores could be found, for example, in the rapid growth of the world market for natural cosmetics. Another international trend is the increasing use of men’s cosmetics. In Finland, men’s use of cosmetics is mainly limited to dental care and cleanliness, but the increasing use of perfumes, for example, can also be seen here.