Canadian retailer Hudson's Bay Co (HBC) has confirmed the opening dates for its initial 10 Hudson's Bay department stores and two Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th stores in the Netherlands.
The flagship Hudson's Bay store in Amsterdam will be the first to open on 5 September, with the other launches planned for the remainder of the month.
'It is very exciting to see the Hudson’s Bay and Saks Off 5th stores become a reality here in the Netherlands. From day one, we have been committed to this market and appreciate the tremendous support and excitement we have received in return from the Dutch people,' commented Wolfgang Link, CEO of HBC Europe. 'As HBC continues to execute our organic growth plans for Europe, we look forward to welcoming Dutch shoppers to our stores.'
The news comes amid the Canadian retailer's troubles in Germany, where it also owns the Galeria Kaufhof department store chain totalling close to 100 branches. Losses at Galeria Kaufhof and calls from an activist shareholder, Jonathan Litt, to pull out of Europe recently saw the company discuss closures in Germany.
However, an attempt earlier this month to shut down a Kaufhof department store in Berlin resulted in landlord Unibail-Rodamco launching legal proceedings to hold HBC to its rental contract. HBC now has to keep the store open, stop clearance sales and offer sufficient products to customers under the ruling.
HBC said it would appeal the court decision. The Canadian retailer also underlined that it was committed to its European investments in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
