Hema
Native name
Hollandsche Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij Amsterdam
FoundedAmsterdam, Netherlands (1926 (1926))
Area served
Netherlands
Austria
Belgium
Germany
Luxembourg
France
Spain
Mexico
Qatar
United Arab Emirates
Key people
Saskia Egas Reparaz
Servicesfurnishings
fashion
photo service
foods
and other
OwnerRamphastos Investments
Websitewww.hema.nl
Inside HEMA on Nieuwendijk, Amsterdam, 2017
Merchandise for sale at a Dutch HEMA store
HEMA in Mexico City at Encuentro Oceanía mall
The Hema hot dog is a staple of the Dutch retailer

HEMA (Dutch pronunciation: [ɦeːmaː]; originally an acronym for Hollandsche Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij Amsterdam, "Standard Price Company of Holland, Amsterdam"), is a Dutch variety chain store. The chain is characterized by relatively low pricing of generic household goods, which are mostly made by and for the chain itself, often with an original design. The owner is Dutch billionaire Marcel Boekhoorn, who has lost control to bondholders.[1]

History

The first HEMA opened in Amsterdam on 4 November 1926, set up by the owners of the luxury department store De Bijenkorf. Originally, as a price-point retailer at prime locations in town centres, goods were sold using standard prices (hence its name), with everything having a standard price of 10, 25 or 50 cents, and later also 75 and 100 cents. The relative economic boom in the Netherlands in the period 1900–1930 benefited HEMA.

During World War II, a number of Jewish employees (there was a relatively high number because of the Jewish roots of the company) were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. This is commemorated every year by laying a wreath on 4 May, the Dutch Remembrance of the Dead, at the head office.

After World War II, the standard pricing model could not be sustained and was abandoned. A period of rapid expansion followed. Locations carry a wide variety of goods, including clothing, food, bicycle equipment, gardening tools, and office supplies.

Ownership changes

Year Remarks
1999 Koninklijke Bijenkorf Beheer merged with Vroom & Dreesmann to form Vendex KBB[2]
2004 Maxeda bought Vendex KBB which owned HEMA, V&D and De Bijenkorf.[3]
2007 (July) HEMA sold to the British investment company Lion Capital.[4] Analysts estimate the purchase at €1.3 billion, roughly equal to HEMA's 2006 sales. At the time, HEMA employed approximately 10,000 employees in 336 branches in the Benelux and Germany.
2018 Lion Capital sells HEMA to Ramphastos Investments, owned by Dutch billionaire Marcel Boekhoorn[5]

2000s

In 2010, under Lion Capital ownership, standard pricing was reintroduced.[6]

In 2015, Hema was the most indispensable brand in the Netherlands for the 8th time running.[7][8]

In 2020, Hema's proprietors placed the potential sale of the business on their agenda. Flacks Group, an investment company based in Miami, Florida, and a consortium led by Amsterdam-based private equity firm Parcom Capital displayed the greatest interest in acquiring the chain.[1] Exclusive negotiations with a 50/50 consortium of the Van Eerd Group and Parcom Capital commenced in October 2020. This was expected to put a stop to activities outside Europe.[9]

The company announced in July 2021 that it would withdraw completely from the UK market by closing its six stores there.[10] Under the leadership of its new ceo, Egas Reparaz, the company would focus more on its core markets of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France.[11] With this renewed focus on core markets, the company also decided to withdraw from Spain and close its stores there during 2022.[12] Two other countries in which it was active in 2021, Germany and Austria, were seen as potential growth markets and would be explored further. Some collaborations in other countries were respected, but not further developed. On November 24, 2021, it was announced that HEMA would sell its bakeries to Bacu, which already baked for Jumbo and would do the same for HEMA.[13]

Branches

HEMA has also expanded into other countries since the 1990s.

HEMA branches by country:

Country Number of stores Since
 Netherlands545 (2018)1926
 Austria5[14] (2019) 2018
 Belgium98[15](2020)1984
 France70[16] (2020)2009
 Germany20[17] (2020)2002
 Luxembourg4[18] (2016)2006
 Qatar3[14] (2019)2018
 Spain8[19] (2020)2014
 United Arab Emirates7[20] (2020)2018
 Mexico11[21] (2020)2020

On 4 January 2014, Hema's CEO Ronald van Zetten announced that it would branch out to Spain and the United Kingdom opening the first stores within six months as well further expanding in France. The first Spanish store opened on 3 April on Calle Fuencarral in Madrid. The first British store opened in the Victoria Place shopping centre, above Victoria station, in London on 12 June 2014, and six more followed. By the summer of 2021, all had been closed.[22]. All stores closed in Spain in 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 Linsell, Katie; Proper, Ellen (20 August 2020). "Iconic Dutch Retailer Hema Files for Chapter 15 Bankruptcy". bloombergquint.com. BloombergQuint. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  2. ↑ "Wij van de Bijenkorf - De fusie van Vendex en KBB" [We of De Bijenkorf: the merger of Vendex and KBB]. Cultureel erfgoed de Bijenkorf (De Bijenkorf Cultural Heritage) (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  3. ↑ "Distressed debt funds take an interest in Maxeda". RetailDetail EU. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  4. ↑ "Maxeda rondt verkoop Hema aan Lion Capital af". Trouw (in Dutch). 6 July 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  5. ↑ "Lion Capital sells Dutch retailer HEMA to Dutch billionaire". Reuters. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "HEMA's verhaal" (PDF). hema.nl (in Dutch). HEMA. January 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Onmisbare Merken". eurib.net (in Dutch). EURIB. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  8. ↑ BNR Webredactie (28 September 2017). "HEMA: 'iedereen behoudt baan bij verkoop'". bnr.nl (in Dutch). BNR Newsradio. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  9. ↑ "Hema via U-bocht richting Jumbo". 16 October 2020.
  10. ↑ Schelfaut, Sanne (1 July 2021). "Hema sluit winkels in Verenigd Koninkrijk". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "HEMA trekt zich na de zomer terug uit het Verenigd Koninkrijk". RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 1 July 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "HEMA volgend jaar weg uit Spanje, zes winkels sluiten". nos.nl (in Dutch). 23 September 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  13. ↑ Schelfaut, Sanne (24 November 2021). "Hema verkoopt bakkerijen aan Jumbo-bakker, recept tompouce blijft ongewijzigd". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  14. 1 2 Schelfaut, Sanne (18 September 2019). "Hoe Hema in Dubai (zonder worst) bouwt aan een wereldmerk". ad.nl (in Dutch). AD. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  15. ↑ "Sélectionnez un magasin HEMA". hema.com. HEMA. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  16. ↑ "Sélectionnez un magasin HEMA". hema.com (in French). HEMA. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  17. ↑ "Wählen Sie eine HEMA-Filiale". hema.com (in German). HEMA. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  18. ↑ "Luxembourg - HEMA". hema.be (in French). HEMA. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  19. ↑ "Tiendas de España". hemashop.com. HEMA. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  20. ↑ "HEMA". appareluae.com. Apparel Group. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  21. ↑ "HEMA Mexico". hemamx.com. HEMA. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  22. ↑ "HEMA closing in the UK". Retrieved 1 December 2021.
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