Heikintori is the second oldest shopping centre in the entire country of Finland. It includes many shops including clothes and electronics shops, many restaurants, and a barber's shop.
There are about 187,000 inhabitants in Heikintori's sphere of influence. The number of households is about 81,000. The annual consumption power of the area is almost 3.1 billion euro (2006).
Файл:Heikintori 50 v.jpgHeikintori turned 50 years old on 30 October 2018 but had already deteriorated so much that no event was held to celebrate it.[1]
Heikintori has long been in need for renovation. Part of Heikintori belongs to the environment designed by Aarne Ervi, which falls under protection.[2] The renovation was supposed to start in late 2019 and be completed in 2021. The plans included building four floors of apartments on top of Heikintori and dismantling Heikintori's current parking house and replacing it with a 7-floor residential house. The commercial spaces were supposed to be renovated honouring the spirit of Aarne Ervi and not be expanded. The third floor of Heikintori will probably house a kindergarten, and part of Heikintori's roof will act as the kindergarten's yard.[3]
In 2020, Heikintori only had a few stores left, including two restaurants, a bar, a barber's shop and a flea market. The only surviving original store is restaurant Ribis.[4]
