Verkkokauppa.com, Helsinki

This store, in Helsinki, which opened on 11.11.11 at 11.11 (no doubt someone in marketing’s bright idea), is by far the largest in the retailer’s portfolio.

Indeed, at 215,280 sq ft this is one of Europe’s biggest electronics sheds and means that shop-in-shops, including Lego, Nokia, Angry Birds, Weber, Sony and Samsung, all form part of the mix. All this, a computer museum and Finland’s only ‘gaming cafe’, make this an electronics shed with a substantial number of differences.

Perhaps the real eye-catcher, however, is located on the sightseeing terrace – Finland’s largest, naturally – where shoppers can admire a Russian MIG-21 fighter. This may sound strange, but given that the store is located by the waterside in Helsinki, close to where passenger boats from Russia and Estonia arrive, perhaps this does make sense in terms of offering something familiar for tourists.

The store also happens to be housed in the area’s tallest building. At 164 ft high, it is something of a local talking point and it means there is room for the retailer’s main warehouse, mail order and shipping departments.

While this is not store design at its most cutting edge, the comprehensive nature of the offer makes it worthy of comment, and it would be hard to pass this one without wanting to take a quick walk around. Dixons does well in the Nordics (its Gigantti format is the market leader), and although questions are frequently asked about whether Finland really is a Nordic nation, the region’s penchant for things electronic would seem to make this a long-term winner.