Blokker reopens first 12 of 40 Stores following bankruptcy

Blokker will open 40 stores in the Netherlands to rebuild the retail store chain that was declared bankrupt last year. The first 12 new stores were opened on Wednesday. The rest will open in the coming weeks, the store chain reported.

Blokker was declared bankrupt in November of last year. The chain, which was founded in 1896, was dealing with continuous losses and issues regarding the payments of debts before the bankruptcy.

Around 45 of the company’s 400 stores remained open during the bankruptcy. An average of 10 people will work in each store, Roland Palmer said. The cousin of Jaap and Ab Blokker purchased the brand name after the company had gone bankrupt in November.

The first 12 stores are opening in Alphen aan den Rijn, Amsterdam, Bovenkarspel, Breskens, Den Bosch, Elst, Emmen, Hoogezand, Voorburg, Weert and Zeist. According to Blokker, these stores will mainly sell products that the company already had, but there will also be new products in the stores, including picnic baskets, scented sticks, and steam appliances, Palmer said.

Blokker hopes to become a "model of the shopping street" again with the reconstruction. Palmer finds it "very special" to be able to continue Blokker and hopes to "give a new impulse to this trusted brand in a modern, innovative way.”

Retail advisor Erik Hemmes thinks that Blokker can be successful again if the chain continues to sell successful products. He thinks that the new Blokker could put more of their energy into discounts. “You need to make discounts exciting. It has to be a special item, and it has to be a bargain. You need to drag people in with it.”

He added that stores like Dirk, Action, and Nettorama do this very well, and Blokker should try to follow their example. He also thinks that adding a self-scan checkout could help Blokker’s cause. “They are becoming very popular, and many customers would rather have this than standing in line.”

His last advice was that Blokker’s staff could be more enthusiastic in their work. “The way you present yourself is important, customers pick up on this unconsciously.” However, he did admit that finding enough staff is not easy. Blokker is planning on hiring around 400 former employees to work in the 40 stores that the Dutch retail chain will open, even though many of them have already found a new job.

The store chain has rebuilt their staff by contacting former Blokker employees via the business social media platform LinkedIn and their networks, Palmer explained. “We were able to contact a lot of people via LinkedIn. You approach one, and they approach another person, and then that person approaches another.”

After the bankruptcy, many former employees found another job at a different store or supermarket chain and often struggled with staff shortages. However, many people wanted to return to Blokker and quit their jobs to do so, Palmer claims. “The people don’t really see Blokker as a national store chain, but more as a team that they have been a part of for several years.”

He stated that there are more former Blokker employees who wish to come back than the number of jobs they have available. Blokker had around 3,500 employees before the bankruptcy. According to Palmer, there are currently around 25 people working at Blokker’s headquarters.

It was reported that Blokker is gearing more of their products towards young people after the restart. Other changes include more space to walk in the stores, and more potential advice given by specialists.

"We've always had really good ironing boards and irons, but when you talk to a young woman of 25, she says: my mother does that. I don't do that anymore. What they do do is dry cleaning." According to him, the chain wants to appeal to both older and younger people.