WELCOME TO A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME, STARTING FROM 1976

The old baize factory, Verkatehdas, still stands on the shore of Tammerkoski rapids when a small vehicle parts shop on nearby Ratinankatu Street celebrates its opening with coffee service. The date is 4 October 1976, and Seppo Korpinen and Pekka Laakso have just taken the bold step to set up their own business. The story of Tampereen Autovaraosa has begun. In addition to local business, the two men travel around the provinces to look for customers. It wasn’t easy, but the hard work paid off: in a few years, the shop became too small. Luckily, there’s a 200-square metre shop premises available just around the corner, at Suvantokatu Street.

Sales are growing, and so is the volume of customer traffic. It’s time to leave the city centre and move to the rural Sarankulma district where cows still graze. The area has been designated for industrial use after the airport moved away from the neighbouring Härmälä district. In 1983, the business was located on its own dedicated premises.

During the recession in the 1990s, young people from both families are committed to the company through intergenerational transfer.  Tapio Korpinen and Perttu Laakso officially stepped in and gradually took over the management under the watchful eye of the previous generation within the next ten years.

A lot changes over the following years. The company’s official name is shortened to TAVO Oy, and there’s cooperation with other operators in the field. After almost 37 years in Tampere, TAVO opened a second shop in 2013 in Seinäjoki, Ostrobothnia. In just a couple of years’ time, the expansion continues in the same direction with the opening of the Vaasa shop in 2015. In Seinäjoki, the spare parts shop had established such a good foothold that it got brand new premises in 2018, complemented with a heavy vehicle wash facility. Next, the journey continues towards the north, with the opening of the Oulu shop in spring 2019.  The fifth TAVO shop was opened in 2020 in Jyväskylä. In February 2023, Tavo Turku opens its doors and we will be able to serve customers on site in Varsinais-Suomi as well.

TAVO’s growth story is also visible in the building in Sarankulma, Tampere, with old and new facilities interconnected to each other. In 2015, the shop and the office moved to new premises. The development rights of the plot were almost exhausted by the warehouse expansion completed in 2019.

This growth story took us from a 55-square metre shop to a multi-site company supplying spare parts and supplies for heavy vehicles everywhere in Finland. It is a story of a business started by two friends and growing into a company that employs almost a hundred people. We think that having a good service attitude is our best asset. We believe that our customers will appreciate it both now and in the future.