Famous brands ignoring Amsterdam’s new luxury retail store

Haussmann, the new luxury department store opening in Amsterdam in February 2017, is struggling to attract top luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Burberry to sell in its store, according to the Financieele Dagblad. Several sources within the fashion market told the newspaper that Haussmann and Bijenkorf are in the midst of a battle over brands. Haussmann is trying to attract brands already selling in the Bijenkorf, and Bijenkorf is trying to stop it. Haussmann co-founder and intended director Frans van der Kraan confirmed to the FD that Louis Vuitton and Hermes will not be selling in the new department store. According to him, this is because they want more space and a shop they can organize themselves, like they have in the Bijenkorf in Amsterdam. But Haussmann does not want to work with these so-called shop-in-shop, even if it means that brands are unwilling to work with them. "That is unfortunate, but we are not going to change our concept", Van der Kraan said to the newspaper. Haussmann wants to be a more luxurious version of Bijenkorf, with added luxuries like valet parking and shopping assistants. Van der Kraan wants to use big, well known brands and supplement them with new up-and-coming brands.