Canadian retailer Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) has unveiled the locations for the first four of the 20 stores it plans to open in the Netherlands over the next 24 months.
HBC entered Europe in June 2015 with the takeover of Galeria Kaufhof in Germany and Galeria Inno, Belgium's only department store group. HBC then turned its attention to the Netherlands where a domestic department store chain, V&D, went into liquidation earlier this year.
The first four Dutch outlets, a Saks off 5th and three Hudson's Bay-branded stores, comprise a total of 50,000 m2.
HBC said that expansion into the Netherlands would 'leverage HBC Europe's existing infrastructure' and introduce two new retail concepts to the market. Richard Baker, governor and executive chairman of HBC: 'We were overwhelmed by the support for HBC in the Netherlands when we announced our entry into the market last week. I'm very pleased with the team's progress in securing our first four stores in prime retail locations. We feel good about the partnership from our landlords as well as the local municipalities, and look forward to bringing our exciting retail experiences to the Dutch customer with our plans of up to 20 stores in the next 24 months.'
The Hudson's Bay stores will be located in the building De Vleeshal and Rokin 21 and 49 in Amsterdam; De Barones in Breda and Heuvelstraat 33 in the city centre of Tilburg. The first Saks off 5th store will be located in De Kalvertoren at the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam.
HBC reached a lease agreement with Ivy Group for De Vleeshal and Rokin 21 and 49 in Amsterdam. These three adjacent buildings will be transformed into one Hudson's Bay premises. The store at the Rokin will have a direct access to the subway station set to open in the area when the new North-South metro line begins operating. The site had originally been earmarked for Marks & Spencer and Hausmann stores, but those plans were dropped. De Vleeshal is a monumental building at the Nes and Oudezijds Voorburgwal and is currently being refurbished, while Rokin 21 and 49 are being constructed. The total store will be 15,800 m2.
Kalvertoren
HBC reached long-term lease agreements with Kroonenberg Groep for Kalvertoren shopping centre in Amsterdam and De Barones in Breda. “De Kalvertoren” will be home to the country’s first Saks off 5th store, a brand named after the famous HBC-owned store on 5th Avenue in New York.
Kalvertoren is located at Kalverstraat, which is, together with Rokin, the main high street of Amsterdam. Kroonenberg Groep is currently renovating the shopping centre to give it an open, modern and appealing look. The 4,200 m2 store will be located on two floors connected by escalators and the storefront will feature entries from both the shopping centre and Kalverstraat.
De Barones shopping centre is centrally located in the shopping heart of the southern Dutch city of Breda. The 16,660 m2 Hudson's Bay store will be located on five floors and Kroonenberg Groep is currently finalising the redevelopment of the centre. The shopping units on the first floor are connected to shopping units on the ground floor in this shopping centre, resulting in large units behind impressive shop fronts.
Also in the south of the country, the fourth Hudson’s Bay store will be located at Heuvelstraat 33 in the high street of Tilburg. The premises owner, Royalton Hill, will renovate the building ahead of the opening of the 12,400 m2 store.
Founded in 1670, HBC is the oldest company in North America. HBC's portfolio today includes luxury and 'better' department stores to off-price fashion shopping destinations, with more than 460 stores and 66,000 employees around the world.
