Fashion chain Tuunte declared bankrupt

Fashion chain Tuunte was declared bankrupt by the court in Zutphen on Tuesday, director Louis van Andel announced. He already informed the 250 employees working in the 45 Tuunte stores. The stores will likely remain open for the time being, and a bankruptcy administrator will investigate whether a restart is possible, ANP reports.

Tuunte's stores are mostly located in smaller towns in Twente and Achterhoek. Recently the company started expanding into the Randstad. But it was too late - a lack of money and time to really modernize the company was the noose around Tuunte's neck, according to Van Andel.

Tuunte struggled to keep up with the changing shopping landscape, especially regarding the advent of online shopping. "When we started in the 80s, women went shopping in the village during the day. Now they work, come home where they see an email with a nice brand or company offer, and then they order clothes online", Van Andel said to RTL Nieuws.

The world around us changed dramatically, Van Andel said to the broadcaster. "As a consumer, I think that's great, but as an organization, it is difficult to get along. We needed more money for that."