PRINTABLE VERSION HERE

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PRESENTATION OF DE BIJENKORF ROTTERDAM

For 155 years, De Bijenkorf has stood as one of the Netherlands’ most recognisable retail institutions. Yet the past decade has tested the department store, from ownership shifts and pandemic shocks to repeated reorganisations and a push to reconcile heritage with profitability. The IADS had the occasion to visit the Rotterdam store. This article walks through the company’s history and the store floor and asks whether De Bijenkorf can create true excitement among its customers. Store pictures are attached to this article.

155 years of history

De Bijenkorf: the beehive of commerce

Founded in 1870 in Amsterdam, De Bijenkorf has breifely been a member of the IADS in 1930. Everything began when Simon Philip Goudsmit opened a small haberdashery in Amsterdam, a modest origin that gave the company its Dutch name, “the beehive,” and its early reputation for quality goods and service. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the business expanded from that single shop into a full‑scale department store in Amsterdam, adding product categories and services and establishing itself as a city‑centre destination for middle- and upper‑market shoppers.

Since 2011, the department store has been owned by the Selfridges Group.1 The group was owned by the Weston family, who now also own Fortnum & Mason and Primark, among others, until 2022, when Central Group and Signa Holding acquired it.

In 2013, De Bijenkorf launched its “premium experience” strategy, investing more than €200 million in five years: the goal was to transform the business to reach a higher international standard in terms of brands, services and shopping experience. Five stores were closed to focus only on those able to convey the premium message. De Bijenkorf now has seven stores2 and a patisserie in Amsterdam. The e-commerce branch opened in 2009 to serve the Netherlands and, from 2019, has expanded across Europe, with German, French, Austrian and Belgian websites, and has communicated heavily on social media.

Covid financial impact

2020 was supposed to be a great year for De Bijenkorf, as it was turning 150. The pandemic prevented any celebrations, and total sales fell by 22%. De Bijenkorf online sales grew by +53% in that same year, offsetting a part of the overall loss and allowing the company to announce an operating profit of €19,4 million (falling down from €77,8 million in 2019).

De Bijenkorf reported an operating loss of €33.3 million in 2021, despite a 10% increase in sales. This poor performance was attributed to rising costs and Covid-related closures during the 2021 winter. However, analysts wondered whether the Central Group and Signa Holding would focus solely on the jewel in the crown, the Selfridges London location, or also help the other names, such as De Bijenkorf.

2023 brought the Dutch luxury department stores 6% more visitors, but this increase did not translate into sales growth. However, thanks to restructuring measures, they managed to increase EBITDA by 37% and their operating profit to €7 million. Thirty-seven in-store managerial roles and 15 job cuts at HQ were announced, along with the discontinuation of e-commerce activities in France, Germany and Austria due to rising costs.

In 2024, managerial turmoil emerged with CEO Matthijs Visch stepping down after less than six months, amid ongoing transformation challenges and recent ownership changes. In 2025, Central Group appointed fourth-generation Chirathivat family member Sean Hill as the new CEO of De Bijenkorf, strengthening the family’s control over the company.

Ongoing restructuring

In January 2026, De Bijenkorf announced another reorganisation due to challenging market conditions, leading to 167 job cuts (110 in stores, 57 at HQ) out of around 2,400 employees. The company said it would reduce HQ and in-store positions, with a strategic focus on operational efficiency, local relevance and creating customer desire through an enriched shopping experience. Also, this restructuring is not considered a response to declining sales, as the company recently reported a profitable year, but rather a proactive measure to address rapidly changing and challenging market conditions.

The Rotterdam store: architecture, heritage and retail

Marcel Breuer’s masterpiece

Architecture is key to department stores. While tourists visit the Galeries Lafayette dome as one of Paris most important landmarks, the De Bijenkorf department store is also one of Rotterdam’s architectural and cultural retail landmarks. Designed by Marcel Breuer, it is an important piece of post‑war modernist architecture. The building was developed and built in the 1950s and is today protected as a national heritage site. Breuer’s design for De Bijenkorf expresses the mid‑century modernist language he is known for: strong geometric volumes and a carefully resolved façade treatment. The building is an urban object in concrete and stone and was conceived as part of the city’s reconstruction after World War II bombing, making it a symbol of renewal. The store’s public face historically included notable artworks, such as the Naum Gabo outdoor sculpture associated with the building, underscoring the project’s ambition to integrate architecture, art and public life. The store is a simple rectangle and has 5 selling floors, including the basement.

A walk through the store: departments, concepts and highlights

- Ground floor

Bringing natural light into the ground floor, numerous exterior openings make the building visually and physically porous to the street. This explains the pleasant, airy feeling visitors note when on the ground floor. Cosmetics and beauty products account for about two-thirds of the floor, with leather goods, jewellery and sunglasses completing it. The main entrance opens onto a cosy and busy café (with a Venchi Italian confectionery shop) filled with natural light, and Chanel, Dior and Charlotte Tilbury beauty counters, among others. These are completed by a multi-brand area for K-beauty and niche brands on the other side of the entrance and directly visible from the street. There is also what they call the “Beauty Studio”, a nicely executed small area selling minis and a De Bijenkorf €59,95 beauty set that includes around 10 small-format products from brands such as Olaplex and Dr Jart+.

Four luxury full-concept shop-in-shops (Gucci, Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton and one under construction) occupy one side of the building. Other leather goods brands include Lauren, Chloé, Jacquemus, Marc Jacobs, Jérôme, Dreyfus, Isabel Marant, Furla, Michael Kors, Coach, Longchamp and more. Jewellery and watches include Emporio Armani, Swarovski, Diesel, and a diamond brand, making this the only luxury brand in this section. An engraving station completes this department.

- First floor

The floor is dedicated to women’s fashion. Brands like Etoile Isabel Marant, Ba&sh, Sandro, Weekend Max Mara, Sessun, American Vintage, Max & Co have shop-in-shops located on all four walls of the floor. They are equipped with “soft” concepts, similar to those at Le Bon Marché: a semi-personalised wall featuring the brand logo and brand colours and a personalised piece of furniture. The floor centre is organised in four multi-brand parts, without brand personalisation:

•  Luxury and affordable luxury brands such as Burberry, Moncler, Acné Studios, Zimmermann, Ami Paris, The Frankie Shop and Jacquemus.
• An outdoor section with puffer jackets, on sale at the time of the visit.
• A premium/contemporary section with Scandi brands such as Ganni, MSCH Copenhagen and Neo Noir.
•  A nicely executed denim section with a ceiling influenced by the former NYC Whitney Museum, a famous building by Marcel Breuer.

Two dressing rooms are placed between each shop-in-shop along the 4 walls. The layout is airy, well organised and invites browsing.

- Second floor

The floor is home to women’s shoes, lingerie, hosiery and kidswear. The floor also hosts a restaurant called “The Kitchen,” with windows that open onto the outside. The shoes section is premium-oriented with brands like Jonak and Unisa. The only luxury names include Isabel Marant, Chloé and Balenciaga. Lingerie and hosiery feel more packed, and offer brands such as Skims, Calvin Klein, Aubade, Simone Perèle, Hanro, Falke and more. A Björn Borg activewear pop-up store completes the offerings.

The kids’ wear zone is split between toddler and teen assortments. On the toddler side, the assortment is quite upscale with a few brands like Burberry and Stone Island. The most notable features are a large and personalised Donsje Amsterdam shop-in-shop and Jelly Cat soft-toy offerings, with no staff to convey the product experience. The teen section, geared toward boys, features brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren and Les Deux. The dressing rooms are designed to be appealing to kids.

- Third floor

The top floor is the home, luggage and gift floor. It has five sections: kitchen (appliances, cookware, glassware and tableware), bed and bath linen, home decor, luggage and, finally, a multi-product gift section. Kitchen appliances include KitchenAid, Ninja, Sage and a multi-brand coffee maker section. Cookware includes brands like Le Creuset. Tableware and glassware are a multi-brand area featuring Villeroy & Boch, Ittala, and Serax soft shop-in-shops. A small food section with products such as nice olive oil bottles completes the kitchen section.

Home scents with a Rituals shop-in-shop and a Marie-Stella-Maris counter help transition to the home textile section, which includes labels such as Ralph Lauren, Marc O’Polo, Yves Delorme and the store’s private label. Home decor is a mix of textiles (cushions and throws) and colour displays with vases and small objects. The section is well executed and quite inspirational. Luggage has a large section with Samsonite, Tumi and Rains backpacks.

The gift area is quite significant and includes fashion books, children’s books, books on the Netherlands, fashion and culture press, plush toys, Lexon gadgets, small objects, adult 3-D puzzles and a Stanley shop-in-shop. A large area dedicated to stationery and experiential gift boxes completes this section. The floor suffers from insufficient lighting and requires renewal.

- Basement

Also accessible from the subway, the men’s department is in the basement and organised into four parts: the luxury section; shoes; suits and formalwear; and finally, streetwear, contemporary and casual brands (including Represent, Diesel, and Ralph Lauren). The men’s shoes assortment is more luxury-oriented than women’s, with brands like Maison Margiela and Amiri. A well-executed large sneaker wall is also part of this section. The multi-brand luxury RTW includes Dior, Burberry, Givenchy, Stone Island and more.

A small De Bijenkorf Museum about the store’s heritage and history is available at the subway entrance in the basement. Not attractive at all, it obviously fills a part of the store that is difficult to display products in or monetise.

Too polished to surprise: execution needs emotion

Overall, the store is airy, tidy and clean with great execution, and it boasts a few initiatives. However, this is not enough to give flair and excitement to the dwelling and shopping experience.

Invisible services

The store offers many services advertised online, but unfortunately, not advertised or even made visible in-store:

- Beauty advice is available with personalised beauty and skincare consultations.

• Repair services, from garments to watches.
• Dyson services focused on delivering the full Dyson experience. Only a Dyson hair product corner is available on the ground floor.
• Mail ordering service and ship-from-store for Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Saint Laurent products.
• Exclusive VIP appointment for Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Saint Laurent.
• Sneaker cleaning, including steam cleaning, manual cleaning of upper material, laces washing, stain removal and freshener treatment.
• Alteration and made‑to‑measure service.

Services have become increasingly important to the overall retail experience. Many services have been developed from personal shopping, private lounges, personalisation or express delivery. Sneaker cleaning and repair services, for example, have become a staple for some brands. Golden Goose is probably one of the best business cases in that area. Their Repair Hubs available in flagships attract younger customers who want to learn more about their favourite shoes and sneakers. While it may create a buzzing atmosphere, Golden Goose repair services can enhance the brand image and generate additional turnover.

Cross-selling efforts

Cross-selling comes top-of-mind to many department store executives, as the multi-category model should offer more opportunities to sell accross several categories. Playing by the book, a few cross-selling initiatives are scattered across the store. For example, the women’s fashion floor features a pink kiosk offering Stanley cups, Assouline travel books, and trinkets. The kiosk is well-executed, featuring a mannequin and a nice look and feel. However, it is the only one of its kind on the entire floor, insufficient to foster storytelling.

Experimenting with cross-selling and local relevance, another example sits on the men’s fashion floor. Taking cues from Ramadan, a table offers Turkish-style delicacies, nice coffee cups, beauty products from Istanbul, chocolates and other gifts. Also in the men’s department, a display mixes men’s accessories with Stanley cups. Finally, on the home floor, several tables mix scents with bath linens.

The missing ingredients: visual drama and storytelling

Overall, the store is nicely displayed, and everything is played “by the book.” However, there is no excitement, very little storytelling. In other words, something’s missing. First of all, the store lacks the kind of messiness that could give customers the impression of a treasure hunt. But this may be incompatible with the store’s impeccable maintenance. Also, there are not enough mannequin groups featuring inspirational looks throughout the store. It seems the store removed walls and most partitions some years ago. On the bright side, it creates a nice as-far-as-the-eye-can-see effect, but maybe they went too far, as it misses more visual stops than the display elements and the few remaining partitions can create on their own. There are two places with interesting “visual breaks” though: the Beauty Salon, thanks to its pink furniture and partitions, and the denim section, thanks to its lighting and furniture that differ from the rest of the floor.

Also, at the time of the visit, the store wasn’t really featuring a strong marketing campaign. There were in-store references to Ramadan, with a few Eid Mubarak (happy holiday) messages scattered throughout the store, but they were too few and discreet to create a cohesive narrative (though it is understandable that religious content may be difficult to promote). The windows featured a marketing theme, “Maak Plezier” (translating to “have fun”), with yellow geometric flowers and blue columns. Unfortunately, the in-store displays include too few related props to add enough flair and decor to the store. Finally, unlike sister company Selfridges with The Corner Shop, it seems De Bijenkorf doesn’t really have a pop-up store programme, as nothing remarkable was featured. Only a Björn Borg pop-up was identified on the second floor.

So, what’s missing is storytelling brought by striking marketing campaigns. Recent strong and successful marketing campaigns include those from Bloomingdale’s. They now have three or four campaigns per year, including Christmas, Spring and Fall. For example, in October 2024, they launched the first of this kind called “From Italy, With Love.” It was a two-month retail event celebrating Italian fashion, design, cuisine and culture. This campaign truly created an immersive customer experience. Moreover, the campaign’s in-store experience at the flagship store was particularly noteworthy. Shoppers were greeted with Italian-themed visual merchandising. The “Mercato” pop-up store offered gourmet Italian products, while installations throughout the store feature travel posters, Roman columns, and whimsical decor, including large-sized tomatoes and lemons. This is exactly what’s missing at De Bijenkorf.

The strengths of the De Bijenkorf Rotterdam store are clear: standout architecture, a well-curated tenant mix and tidy displays. The problem is not execution in the narrow sense; it is the absence of emotional resonance and storytelling that turns visits into memorable experiences and occasional shoppers into regular customers. Recent profitability and efficiency measures buy time, but they will not create desire. De Bijenkorf’s next phase must fuse preservation with experimentation. That means making services visible and experiential, treating Breuer’s building as a stage for seasonal, immersive campaigns, and using pop-ups and cross-category storytelling to reintroduce the thrill of discovery, the very essence of department stores.

Credits: IADS (Christine Montard)