Over 3,000 homes in former V&D department stores

Over 3,000 homes have been built or planned in former V&D department stores over eight years after the chain’s bankruptcies. Almost all former V&D locations now have a new purpose. Only the future of the building in Den Bosch remains unclear, RTL Nieuws reports.

V&D was a household name in the Netherlands, and its bankruptcy in 2016 was a blow to many city centers, where retail vacancies were already increasing with the growth of online shopping. However, the decrease in demand for retail space coincided with a growing need for housing, and many former V&D locations have been used to meet that need.

Renovations are starting at the former V&D building in Maastricht this week. Two floors will be built on top of the building, making space for 50 apartments. The ground floors will be renovated and then used by Zara and Starbucks. In Alkmaar, a supermarket will use the ground floor and approximately 100 apartments will be built in the rest of the building.

In Hoorn, a perfumery is located on the ground floor, and the upper floors have been converted into 30 apartments. Apartments have also taken the top floors of V&D buildings in Sittard, Assen, Den Helder, and Haarlem, among others.

Some V&D locations, like in Amsterdam Noord, Hilversum, Tilburg, and Oosterhout, are still entirely dedicated to retail, but they’ve been divided into multiple, smaller units. The V&D location on Kalverstraat in Amsterdam is now a showroom for the Chinese car manufacturer Zeekr. Part of the location in Meppel is now a cinema, and the one in Purmerend is now a gym.