Shoe chain Sacha to close most locations, but Dutch retailers opened more shops overall

Shoe store Sacha is closing most of its 32 branches in the Netherlands and will focus more on online sales, the company confirmed to NOS. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported on Tuesday that there were more physical stores in the Netherlands last year than the year before, breaking the downward trend that started in 2010. Though real estate adviser Colliers reported that retail vacancy is on the rise.

Sachas is struggling under rising costs and more and more consumers opting to shop online, Cecile Termeer of the Termeer Group, Sacha’s parent company, told NOS. Sacha’s online sales are also increasing. “For example, we recently had a shoe that went viral on TikTok, which was sold out online within two days,” Termeer said. It, therefore, makes sense to focus more on online sales.

The company hasn’t decided yet how many Sacha stores will remain or where. The Termeer Group stressed that there will be no forced layoffs. The Sacha store employees will be reassigned to other chains owned by the Termeer Group, like Sissy-Boy and Manfield. “Staff can be redeployed, which is very nice,” Termeer said.

On 1 January 2024, the Netherlands counted over 83,200 physical stores, 1,100 more than a year earlier, CBS reported. This is the first break in a downward trend that lasted almost a decade and a half. The number of physical stores has declined every year since 2010. “Despite this increase, the number of stores has not yet returned to the level before the coronavirus pandemic,” CBS said. On 1 January 2020, the Netherlands counted 84,100 stores.

The number of DIY stores increased the most, while the number of garden centers, flower stores, and pet shops fell the most.

Clothing stores are the most common on the shopping street, accounting for over 15 percent of all stores. Supermarkets are a distant second, followed by household goods stores, garden centers and flower shops, and DIY stores.

As in previous years, the number of online stores also increased. On January 1, there were over 95,0000 online stores in the Netherlands.

Despite the increase in physical stores, retail vacancy is on the rise in the 40 largest Dutch municipalities, real estate advisor Colliers reported earlier this month. In the first quarter, 2,500 stores stood empty, 8.3 percent of the total. Many have been empty for over a year.

Colliers urged local governments to be more targeted with their zoning plans as locals become increasingly frustrated with empty stores when there is such a large housing shortage. For example, Leeuwarden and Eindhoven are successfully combating retail vacancy by not allowing the construction of new stores but making conversions easier, for example.