.svg){kind=link}
The story
Founded by Jacob Blokker in 1896.1
Founding
On April 25, 1896, Jacob Blokker and his wife Saapke Kuiper founded De Goedkoope IJzer en Houtwinkel in Hoorn, located at Breed 22. The store quickly grew, expanding to several properties on the same street, including number 12. In 1923, an old building on the corner of Breed and the Veemarkt was purchased, transforming into a significant store for its time. This branch moved in March 2016 to a location on Gouw in Hoorn.
Expansion
Starting in the 1930s, the four sons of Jacob Blokker and Saapke Kuiper opened multiple stores in the Randstad region under the name Gebroeders Blokker. This tradition continued through successive generations, growing Blokker into a national, and later international, retail chain. Former CEO Jaap Blokker was named businessman of the year in 2003.
In 2015, Blokker had over 800 stores across the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Suriname. During the 2010s, the company faced declining sales and losses, partly because it lagged in e-commerce. Efforts to reverse this trend included store renovations and modernization. The American actress Sarah Jessica Parker was featured in 2016 television campaign to refresh Blokker's image. Additionally, store closures were implemented; in Belgium, 69 of 190 stores closed, and 50 stores shut down in the Netherlands. In May 2017, it was announced that another 100 stores in the Netherlands would close.
New ownership
On November 12, 2018, the Blokker family announced their intention to sell a majority stake in the chain. To ensure the company would be in good hands, Ab and Els Blokker were willing to provide financial support to the new owner. In April 2019, CEO Michiel Witteveen of Blokker Holding acquired the chain for 1 Euro, from the Blokker family, without external investors.He also got 800.000.000 Euros from the family, to pay the workers employed by Blokker.
On February 18, 2020, Blokker announced that all stores in Belgium and Luxembourg would be sold to the Dutch Retail Group, led by entrepreneur Dirk Bron, who would rebrand the stores as discounters named Mega World. Only eight of the 123 stores in Belgium and Luxembourg were profitable. Financial struggles persisted, and by October 2020, Mega World sought creditor protection. The chain was declared bankrupt on December 22, 2020. In the meantime, Blokker appointed a new CEO, Jeanine Holscher, to revitalize the remaining stores in the Netherlands and Suriname, as well as the brand itself.
From Wikipedia’s article on Blokker (store), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4