Fashion chain Vanilia declared bankrupt; Some 290 jobs in Netherlands at risk
A Dutch court has declared the fashion chain Vanilia bankrupt. The annual accounts show that the chain, which sells “casual chic” women’s fashion, has suffered millions of euros in losses in recent years, NOS reports.
Vanilia has 17 stores throughout the Netherlands and a webshop. Around 200 people work in the stores. The company also employs around 95 people at its head office and 350 people in Turkey. Vanilia also sells through the Bijenkorf department store.
Michel Hulzenbosch took over Vanilia in the early 1990s and has been at the helm ever since. He is devastated by the bankruptcy, he told NOS. “What a sadness, also for the staff. It is such a shame for such a beautiful, sustainable company. Until a week ago, I really thought we were going to make it.”
According to Hulzenbosch, store closures around the coronavirus pandemic and higher costs, especially for staff, were the company’s downfall. He hopes for a restart. “I want a second life for this company.”
The bankruptcy of Vanilia is another blow to the Dutch shopping streets, which said goodbye to household names like Blokker, The Body Shop, Bristol, and Esprit in the past year.
