Suomen Lähikauppa Oy and Itella Information Oy have signed an outsourcing agreement on financial administration.
Suomen Lähikauppa will outsource the following functions to Itella Information: general ledger accounting, travel and expense invoices, fixed assets accounting, accounts payable and purchase invoice rotation, sales invoicing and accounts receivable, stock accounting, cash accounting, payment traffic, and payroll.
As a result of the outsourcing agreement, 61 employees from the Tampere financial service center of Suomen Lähikauppa will transfer to Itella as of December 15, 2010. The employees will continue working at the Tampere office.
- Through outsourcing, we can make our financial administration more efficient and save expenses. Itella is committed to the further development of financial administration, which means that we can focus on our core business, says Ralf Holmlund, CEO of Suomen Lähikauppa.
Hundreds of companies have outsourced their financial and payroll administration functions to Itella, which uses large volumes, automatic means, and industrial processes for developing the financial administration of its customers.
This agreement is one of the most significant financial and payroll administration outsourcing deals in Finland in recent years, and also sets an example to the whole market.
- The outsourcing market of financial and payroll administration is on the rise in Finland. I believe that we will see more of these agreements next year. Companies are seeing that financial administration and its different areas can be outsourced, and that it can be developed outside the company. The market develops further as good operators and services increase customer interest and make the benefits more significant and concrete, says Heikki Länsisyrjä, CEO of Itella Information Oy.
Itella Information is a financial and payroll administration outsourcing partner with operations in 15 countries in Europe. Customer companies outsource elements of their purchase or sales invoice process, or all of their financial administration transactions, to Itella.
Further information:
Ralf Holmlund, CEO, Suomen Lähikauppa Oy, tel. +358207 003200
Heikki Länsisyrjä, CEO, Itella Information Oy, tel. +358 50 558 7801
Communication unit contact information:
Jaana Huttunen, Communications Director, Suomen Lähikauppa Oy, tel. +358 207 00321
Satu Linkola, Communications Manager, Itella Information Oy, tel. +358 400 967 836
Suomen Lähikauppa Oy is the third largest grocery store operator in Finland with two national store chains: Siwa and Valintatalo. It has a total of 700 stores, around 6,000 employees, and its customer base comprises almost all Finns. Company turnover in 2009 was approximately EUR 1.3 billion. IK Investment Partners is the main owner of Suomen Lähikauppa.
Itella Information is a leading rationalizer of financial information flows and a forerunner in electronic invoicing in Europe. Services comprise solutions for the efficient processing of incoming invoices within organizations, and for cost-effective sending of invoices, electronically or on paper. Itella Information operates in 15 European countries with a staff of about 2,000 professionals. Net sales in 2009 amounted to EUR 247 million. The Itella Information business group is part of Itella Group.
