Quality assurance
“Product quality and safety are are among our most important things.”
We aim to ensure that all products we sell are safe to use and of high quality. We are responsible for ensuring the safety and legal compliance of the products we sell.
Janne Pihkala, Chief Sourcing and Buying Officer, Tokmanni Group
Product quality is part of Tokmanni Group’s compliance and, for us, it means product safety, legality, durability and customer experience.
Product quality is important to us, and we work hard to ensure it.
Our quality departments in Mäntsälä in Finland and Kista in Sweden take care of, for example, the regulatory compliance of the products we sell, the labelling of packaging, the definition of quality criteria, and testing various products. Dozens of new products and finished product quality inspection reports from tools to toys are inspected daily in our own quality departments but also in our sourcing offices in Shanghai in China and New Delhi in India. Our sourcing offices in China and India also have their own quality teams. This helps us identify and address possible quality deviations at an early stage, before the goods are shipped from the manufacturing countries. It also enables better communication with suppliers.
In our own factory social compliance inspections, we also focus on product quality and quality management.
We are responsible for the correctness of the texts and packaging labels of the goods we sell. All our private label brand products state the country of manufacture and the recyclability of the packaging materials. For example, we reviewed or renewed over 8,000 private label entries in 2025. We also conduct third-party product safety evaluations for our products.
We measure product safety and the quality of experience in terms of the number of product types that do not meet all our requirements. Exact numbers are reported in the annual CSRD report. We have concluded that most non-conformities are related to poor product quality detected through self-monitoring or customer returns, rather than safety concerns.
There are also a few decisions to discontinue the sale of goods due to possible non-compliance every year. These cases are also reported in the annual CSRD report.
Chemicals
We want to ensure that our products are safe and do not contain unwanted chemicals. We are committed to complying with EU chemicals legislation and require the same from our suppliers. We also strive to avoid harmful chemicals in our products by identifying them and then restricting their use or substituting them.
We restrict certain chemicals in cargo container gases and desiccants. In addition, depending on the product type, we require suppliers to submit chemical test reports and have a list of banned chemicals in textiles that is stricter than the legislation. The list covers both chemicals in clothing and chemicals used in production. For instance, perfluorinated compounds and azo dyes are prohibited from use.
Case: Products and sourcing | A product’s quality assurance journey at Tokmanni Group variety discount retailer
Tokmanni Group’s quality control process is extensive. Once we identify a new product that we wish to offer our customers, we begin the search for a supplier. When possible, we choose suppliers we have already worked with before.
Once potential suppliers have been identified, the factories send samples of the new product to Finland. The product’s quality is tested in-house or by an independent partner. The supplier is then selected based on criteria such as quality-price ratio and supply reliability. We only select products that meet high quality standards. If possible, a Tokmanni Group representative visits the factory before the final decision.
After the supplier has been chosen and production begins, an independent quality control partner inspects each product batch before it is shipped. Once the products arrive at our central warehouse, a quality specialist conducts random checks on-site.
Our office in Shanghai and New Delhi
Our sourcing offices in Shanghai in China and New Delhi in India make sure that the products we procure are up to our high standards. With the help of skilled local teams, Tokmanni Group can ensure the quality and sustainability of our products, even when manufactured on another continent. In addition to commercial teams, both offices have quality and compliance assurance teams.
In practice, the quality assurance operations include factory checks and ensuring timely delivery. Factory checks are conducted at potential new suppliers’ factories and at factories where the risks of product non-compliances or human rights violations are the highest.
“Because of our local teams, we can efficiently ensure quality, compliance and smooth logistics while helping suppliers stay prepared for increasingly demanding EU legislation. This gives us a clear competitive advantage,” says Mikko Kalmi, Group Head of Quality and Private Label.
In 2021, Tokmanni’s buyers further increased communication and collaboration with the Shanghai office to ensure product quality.
Further improvements in quality assurance
Next, Tokmanni Group will be focusing on improving supplier and product information management and meeting upcoming challenges from EU regulations. We are committed to continuous improvement in every aspect of our business, including quality control.
This article was published in early 2022 and last updated in October 2026.
Possible product recalls
At Tokmanni Group, we are committed to ensuring that our product assortment and operating practices meet the expectations of our stakeholders.
Despite the comprehensive measures we take, there may occasionally be situations in which we must inform about product recalls. Information on any potential recalls related to our Tokmanni variety discount retail chain can be found here (in Finnish and Swedish), Dollarstore variety discount retail chain here (in Swedish), and Big Dollar variety discount retailer here (in Danish).
Which sustainability topics would you like us to tell more about?
Tell us, for example, via Tokmanni’s customer service, we would like to hear from you!