More pieces of struggling 213-year-old Dutch shoe brand declared bankrupt

Many subsidiaries of the shoe brand Van Lier have been declared bankrupt, according to the Zeeland-West-Brabant court. It had previously been reported that the company was facing financial difficulties.

It is not immediately clear how extensive the bankruptcy is. On the website of the alternative exchange Bondex, the company states that the parent company VANLIER b.v. is not bankrupt, but bankruptcy has been declared for subsidiaries Van Lier b.v., Van Lier Amsterdam, and Van Lier Shoes b.v. “Further announcements on this matter will only follow after consultation with the trustee of these companies,” the company said.

The company is owned by Geert van Spaendonck, although the bankruptcy report indicated that he had distanced himself from the parent company. All shares have been transferred to Fairmont Capital, based in Amsterdam.

The brand’s webshop also appears to have been taken offline. Anyone trying to access the site on Wednesday morning sees a blank screen with the message “service temporarily unavailable.”

Van Lier has a long history, dating back to 1815, when the family business was founded in Loon op Zand, Noord-Brabant. The brand became known for its classy leather shoes.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the company was struggling financially. All seven of its physical stores closed when the company operating them was declared bankrupt.

In June, the company reported in its preliminary annual figures that it was having trouble repaying its COVID-related debt to the Tax Authorities. At the same time, shoe sales declined, and the company suffered a loss of nearly one million euros.