Blokker to lay off hundreds, stores stay open

Dutch discount retailer Blokker announced plans to let go of 440 staff members out of 7,200 total employees. The move is a necessary cost cutting measure to make the firm more competitive, the company said on Monday. Blokker had been testing a new strategy in a handful of stores since last summer. That strategy will be rolled out company-wide to make the store more competitive against other retailers, and includes an attempt to do more sales online. The cuts will be made from about half of the company's 500 Netherlands locations. Employees were notified of the plan during an evening meeting in store branches.