Press release

Ambassador of Finland officially opens new office and showroom for Fiskars in Birmingham

March 17th, Birmingham: The Ambassador of Finland, Pekka Huhtaniemi, officially opened Fiskars' new UK showroom and offices in Birmingham on Thursday.

Local business dignitaries, trade associations, industry leaders from the home and garden arena, and Fiskars employees witnessed Mr Huhtaniemi (pictured centre) cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the impressive 17th floor of the Mclaren Building in the centre of Birmingham.

John Grayson, Regional Director Fiskars South West Europe (pictured left), welcomed the guests, who were then addressed by Mr Thomas Enckell, President, Fiskars Europe (pictured right).

James Wong, the renowned TV presenter, ethnobotanist and best-selling author, and new ambassador for Fiskars joined in the celebration, signing autographed copies of his new book 'Grow For Flavour'.

Well known for their industry leading garden tools and a global authority on the premium scissor category, Fiskars recently moved to The Masshouse McLaren building , one of the Birmingham's tallest structures, situated within the vibrant central business district.

From a high rise commanding view point, the new office includes a specifically designed demonstration area and interactive product displays to showcase not just Fiskars garden and kitchen tools, but other iconic global brands: Gerber, Iittala and Royal Copenhagen. 

Commenting on the move, UK Managing Director and Regional Director for the company's south west European business John Grayson said, "This is an exciting time to be part of one of the world's oldest and yet most contemporary companies. We have been through an extensive development program in recent years and the opportunity to now re-position Fiskars UK into such an accessible location, within a welcoming and professional office environment that befits the quality of our brands and company values, is just tremendous."

Thomas Enckell, President Business Region Europe, Fiskars, added, "There is more than age and history which makes Fiskars relevant today. We have a sincere aspiration to be even more relevant - socially relevant, relevant as an employer, business partner and to our end consumers.

"Fiskars will be strengthening our marketing position and expanding and the UK is one of the key markets in Europe. The UK is the most garden loving country in the world and London has the most number of garden loving residents in the world. This new facility shows our aspirations. It's a great view, lots of open space and gives us room to grow."

And James Wong said, "One of the problems with horticulture in the UK is that is can be elitist and people feel that they're not allowed into the club. With Fiskars, anyone can join. It's totally democratic. 

"We want to revolutionise how we talk to the public to get a whole new generation outdoors." 

W: www.fiskars.com E: ukinfo@fiskars.com

Fiskars UK Ltd, 17^th Floor, McLaren Building, Queensway, Birmingham, B4 7LR.

Media Enquiries -For more information please contact:

Veronica Hannon, Transform Communications Ltd

E:veronica@transformcommunications.co.ukM: 07752 875285

High resolution images are available to download at:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/k15m71jyw9bsdex/AABmpSqySsv-6FGOzq4rmHo-a?dl=0

Fiskars 365 - celebrating centuries of pride, passion and design. Every day.
Established in 1649 as an ironworks in a small Finnish village, Fiskars has grown to be a leading global supplier of consumer products for the home, garden and outdoors. Available in more than 60 countries, Fiskars products solve everyday problems, making daily home, garden and outdoor projects easier and more enjoyable through superior performance and design. Fiskars is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, and the company's net sales were 799 million euro in 2013. The Group's key international brands are Fiskars, Iittala and Gerber. www.fiskarsgroup.com