HOLLAND RETAIL NEWS: Nov 2019
The biggest retail stories in the Netherlands for the month of November included news about Amazon, bol.com, Hema, Nike, Weekday, Afound and more.
AMAZON NETHERLANDS
Amazon Netherlands is expected to transition from an e-books only retail site into a full-assortment webshop in the near future based on communication leaked from Amazon to 3rd-party sellers.
bol.com, the largest online retailer in the Netherlands, is responding to the expected assault on its market share by adding fashion clothing to its assortment at the start of the new year.
HEMA TEAMS UP WITH JUMBO
Hema has decided to abandon plans to sell its merchandise in Albert Heijn stores following a small test and instead Hema will partner with Jumbo supermarket chain. In addition to the Hema capsule assortment that will be sold in Jumbo stores, the company announced that 25 Hema stores in the Netherlands will be converted to Jumbo supermarkets. The list of specific stores has not been released as yet.
In more Jumbo news, the grocery retailer’s new location in The Hague city center (located in the former Marks & Spencer store) will have its grand opening on Wednesday 4th December.
SEVEN SISTERS TO OPEN STORE IN ROTTERDAM
American clothing brand Seven Sisters will open its first store in the Netherlands in mid-2020 in Rotterdam, at the Forum retail center currently under construction at Beursplein.
WEEKDAY TO OPEN SECOND STORE IN AMSTERDAM
Weekday, a division of H&M, opened its fifth store in the Netherlands on 15th November on Gerard Doustraat in Amsterdam’s De Pijp area. It is the city’s second Weekday store. Other Weekday locations in Holland include Groningen, The Hague and Rotterdam.
AFOUND TO OPEN STORE IN UTRECHT
Afound, the outlet division of H&M, will open its first brick-and-mortar store in the Netherlands in Utrecht’s Hoge Catharijne shopping mall in March 2020. Earlier this year the Swedish retailer launched a Dutch webshop selling to customers in the Netherlands (the only country outside Sweden). Afound sells secondhand and clearance merchandise from both H&M brands (i.e. H&M, COS, Monki, Weekday, & other stories and Arket) as well as external brands (such as Diesel, NA-KD, Filippa K and French Connection).
NIKE ENDS AMAZON TRIAL
Nike has ended a 2-year trial selling merchandise through Amazon. The company wishes to maintain fuller control over branding and continue to develop direct contact with its customer base. Here in the Netherlands, the entire collection is available through the Nike Dutch webshop.
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