FNV: MediaMarkt discount campaign "completely irresponsible"

Trade union FNV calls the discount campaign and night opening planned by MediaMarkt "completely irresponsible". The union says that large international retail groups are going "ever further" in coming up with discount moments. "Managements and owners have completely lost sight of the interests of employees and society. Everything is focused on even more profit", says FNV Winkelstraat.

MediaMarkt wanted to open its doors and offer discounts on the night of Saturday to Sunday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the opening of the first branch in the Netherlands. However, the situation escalated and people almost stormed the store to get in. Windows and a glass door were smashed and people started to get violent in the street. In addition, fireworks were set off, NOS reported.

About a hundred MediaMarkt employees had to stay in the building for hours because it was not safe enough to go outside. The MediaMarkt spokesperson spoke of a "considerable disturbance" on Sunday morning.

MediaMarkt had made a safety plan and discussed it earlier with the police. For example, there were 12 security guards present.

However, a police spokesperson said that the police were not aware of the action. "We as police have not heard anything about it," the spokesperson explains, saying that they could not have prohibited the action. "But we could have said that this was not a good idea." According to the spokesperson, this is because it is very busy at night in the area near the Binnenwegplein, where there are restaurants. "On Saturday night, few people are still sober."

The MediaMarkt on the Binnenwegplein in Rotterdam is expected to reopen on Sunday, a spokesperson for the electronics store reported on Sunday.

MediaMarkt will now evaluate “what we could have done differently”. “Something will probably come out of it,” said the spokesperson, who then also reported that people who want to disrupt something will always find an opportunity to do so. “I have the feeling that we have done a lot for safety.”