Recession kills off department store Maison de Bonneterie

Upmarket department store Maison de Bonneterie is closing down in Amsterdam and The Hague after 125 years, news agency ANP says on Friday.

The family firm said in a statement it would be no longer be economically responsible to keep the stores open because of the ongoing recession.

Maison de Bonneterie was launched in 1889 to sell hosiery but soon expanded into other clothing and accessories. The founders Joseph Cohen and Rosalie Wittgenstein were influenced by Parisian fashion houses and introduced the shop window concept to the Netherlands.

The company closed its branch in Laren in 2011. It also has an outlet store in Heemstede.

News of the closure comes a day after British department store Marks & Spencer opened a new three-storey shop in The Hague.

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