Job losses expected as bankrupt DA pharmacy rescuer emerges

Pharmacy chain DA was officially declared bankrupt by the court in Amsterdam on Tuesday, but a takeover by the Nederlandse Drogisterij Service means that the pharmacy will not completely disappear. The takeover does come with some job losses however, union FNV stated on Tuesday based on a letter to the staff. The buyer indicated that jobs will be retained at DA, but the exact number is still unknown. "In the coming weeks it will become clear how many may stay", FNV director Frans de Beer said to BNR. "It will also become clear under which collective bargaining agreement the workers will fall. DA had its own collective agreement, which was better than that of other pharmacies." The take over involves the seven of the 266 DA stores that were under DA's direct control and and the umbrella purchasing organization DA Retail Group, Elsevier reports. The other 259 DA stores are owned by franchisees. For them the takeover means that they will be allowed to continue under the DA name, according to Elsevier. Their deliveries will temporarily be handled by Holland Pharma, a drugstore vendor that has a majority stake in the Nederlandse Drogisterij Service.