“Vaaka Partners thought we had a really solid growth path and strategy,” says Mezzoforte CEO Santtu Poutanen, who notes that the company has become known for its customer-centricity. “With the new ownership we have been focused on increasing the speed of our execution and investing more money and more resources into excellent user experience.”
Over half a million registered customers use Huutokaupat.com to purchase everything from cars and real estate to sauna trolleys, tools and everyday items. And Vaaka Partners sees the Finnish online marketplace as a “major player” in the circular economy with huge growth potential.
Only around 12% of the materials used in the EU is circulated, according to official figures, and Vaaka Partners says that Huutokaupat.com is thereby contributing to tackling a major societal challenge. Partner at Vaaka Partners, Petrus Blomqvist, expects that there will be significant possibilities for Huutokaupat.com in the future, given the increased role of the circular economy.
Poutanen says that following success with other companies, Vaaka introduced Mezzoforte Oy to Trailmaker to help with the strategy execution process. “Trailmaker have a very interesting concept,” he says.
Since the acquisition, Trailmaker has worked with the board and key people at Mezzoforte Oy and the cooperation will continue. The key objectives for the cooperation were centred around finding a common view and strong buy-in for transformation and execution, says Poutanen. “It was really important to have everyone on the same page with clear areas of responsibility and accountability.”
According to the CEO, key challenges and opportunities were clarified during the process with Trailmaker and immediate actions were identified. Poutanen describes the process as resulting in improved capabilities, with strengthened “excellent” user experience. “Trailmaker helped us accelerate the execution of our new strategy,” he says. “In a way, the strategic change is recognising the untapped potential of the circular economy and we need to accelerate in order to capitalise on that potential.”
