High street retailer Hema has been voted the most unmissable Dutch brand for the seventh year in a row, according to the latest ranking from the European Institute for Brand Management.

In total, 66% of men and 82% of women polled said Hema was the one Dutch brand they could not do without. Dutch consumers also consider the stores to be a ‘cultural icon’, EURIB said. Hema is a staple of most Dutch high streets, selling household goods, clothes, some foods and office supplies.

The retailer already has several outlets in Belgium and a handful in Germany, France and Luxemburg and has just opened its first stores in Britain.

The company was founded in 1926 and is currently owned by Lion Capital.

Hema, which only sells own-label products, is regularly cited as one of the biggest Dutch brands and one of the things Dutch expats most miss when they live abroad.

Online retailer Bol.com, owned by the Ahold supermarket group, is in second place in the Eurib ranking, with high street discount pharmacy Kruidvat in third.

Albert Heijn supermarkets were fourth in the ranking and iDeal, the Dutch banks’ system for online payments, was a surprise fifth, Eurib said in its report.