IADS Exclusive - Dutch department store tour: from international groups to family-owned business

Taking the opportunity of the kick-off celebrations of Vanderveen’s 125th anniversary in Assen, the IADS visited three Dutch department stores at the end of April 2022: De Bijenkorf and Peek & Cloppenburg in Amsterdam, and Vanderveen in Assen.

In the Netherlands, the department store business is mainly led by De Bijenkorf, running seven locations throughout the country. Peek & Cloppenburg (accounting for approximately 75 stores in Germany and now owning Magasin du Nord), runs 4 stores in the Netherlands. Finally, Vanderveen has a single location in Assen and is still run by the Vanderveen founding family.

Differences are huge between these three businesses. Each targeting specific customer groups, they offer a particular take on department stores, from international luxury to mass-market and ultra-local purpose. A review in pictures is also available to the IADS members.

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 22 June 2022.