Finnish consumption in Estonia
continues to rise
Estonia is a main shopping destination
for Finns- Tallinn is located only 85
kilometers away from Helsinki, and it is
easy to get to by ship, which is fast and
cheap. Finns rely more and more on
different services and products in
Tallinn, like beauty and spa treatments,
and all kinds of products from clothes
and cosmetics to electronics.
Especially the number of people buying
shoes and clothes has increased a lot
during the last couple of years.
By Emilia Kiiskinen
“I visit Tallinn primarily to go to get foot and
hand treatments, because they are half the
price over there," explains Tuuli, a 50-yearold Woman from Vantaa who goes to
Tallinn about six times a year. Tuuli also
likes to buy clothes and cosmetics in
Tallinn because of the different and
cheaper selection of products they have
compared to Finland. She sometimes also
brings an occasional bottle of wine back
with her, like many other Finns, as the
cheapest bottles of wine found in Tallinn
are about 3 euros. Alcohol is still one of
the main reasons for many Finn’s visit to
our neighbor country, which affects both
the Finnish and Estonian societies.
Now the alcohol discussion in Finland
is on the table again- or did it ever leave?
If the alcohol taxes in Finland go down,
like they did in 2004, alcohol-related harm
visibly increases. On the other hand, when
the alcohol tax rises in Finland, more
alcohol is being bought from abroad.
Alcohol taxes rose sky-high in 2008 and
2009, and there was a related increase in
alcohol importation from Estonia,
a typical cart used for carrying alcohol
according to the Finnish Customs.The
same pattern has been repeated a few
times since then with every change on the
alcohol taxes. The main problem is the socalled “viinarally” (alcohol rally), which is
when Finns travel to Estonia with the
express intention of buying as much
alcohol that they can bring back to Finland
as possible.
example price comparison (in €)
Helsinki
Bottle of wine(mid-range)
12.00
Imported beer(0.33l)
2.83
Pack of cigarettes(marlboro) 5.50
Cinema(1 seat)
12.00
Meal(inexpensive restaurant) 11.50
Tallinn
6.00
1.27
3.20
6.00
6.00
According to Juhani Pekkala of the
federation of Finnish Commerce, this is a
trend that is very difficult to turn around,
since people in Finland have gotten so
used to it by now, and this is something
that decision-makers in Finland must stay
alert on. According to a consumer survey