HOLLAND RETAIL NEWS June 2021
Our running update of Netherlands retail news stories for June 2021 includes brands such as Flying Tiger, De Bijenkorf, AktieSport, Perry Sport and more.
FLYING TIGER WEBSHOP
Flying Tiger Copenhagen has opened a Netherlands webshop. It is the company’s third after Denmark and Sweden. The specialty retailer sells low-priced home, hobby, party and gift items. There are currently 17 Flying Tiger stores in the Netherlands including Amsterdam, Breda, Delft, Eindhoven, Haarlem, Leiden, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.
DE BIJENKORF ENDS APPOINTMENT REQUIREMENT
De Bijenkorf has relaxed its shopping-by-appointment requirement in the face of improving coronavirus numbers in the Netherlands. The Dutch department store retailer had the rule in place since March even after the government ended its mandate on April 28. The company will still accept shopping appointment reservations which will give the customer priority entrance when there is a line to get in (there is still a limit on the number of shoppers allowed in at any given time).
NEW OWNER FOR SPORTS UNLIMITED RETAIL
Sports Unlimited Retail, parent company of Dutch sports store chains Aktiesport and Perry Sport, is now owned by JD Sports Spanish subsidiary Iberian Sports Retail Group (ISRG). JD Sports, a British company, purchased Sports Unlimited Retail in 2015 as it was entering the Dutch marketplace with its own retail stores (JD Sports – King of Trainers). The corporation now believes it is better to have the two Dutch chains under ISRG which has more sporting goods orientation than JD Sports where the primary focus is fashion athletics. ISRG is therefore better able to assist Aktiesport and Perry Sport in realizing their full potential.
IN-STORE SALES SIGNIFICANTLY UP
ABN AMRO has reported a significant increase in in-store sales during the month of May compared with April when a shopping appointment was required to enter a store. Clothing store transactions were up 71% while online clothing sales during the same period fell by 8%. In-store furniture sales increased by 85% in May vs. April while sporting goods and electronic stores saw their sales more than double.