V&D CEO hopes to save company, 10,000 jobs

Now that retail group V&D is declared bankrupt, bankruptcy administrators Kees van de Meent and Hanneke de Coninck are working hard on a possible restart. V&D CEO John van der Ent has hopes that this will succeed. "This bankruptcy does not mean the end of V&D and La Place", he wrote in a letter to his employees on Thursday. "Along with the bankruptcy administrators and with you, I want to fight for the best possible restart with as many people as possible", Van der Ent wrote, adding that a successful restart will need the commitment of all employees. All V&D stores and La Place restaurants will remain open for the time being. Benefits agency UWV will pay the employees' salaries. Some 10,300 employees could lose their jobs if a restart does not succeed. A spokesperson for the retail chain told broadcaster NOS that this bankruptcy was mostly technical in nature, with the intent of making a restart easier. Those taking over can start with a clean slate. The bankruptcy administrators have six weeks to work on a restart. According to the Financieele Dagblad, dozens of interested parties already reported to the administrators after V&D was granted suspension of payment, but they'll only come to a further assessment of the possible options in the first week of the New Year.