High street store Blokker has quietly closed 50 branches over the past two years, according to research by retail analysis group Locatus on behalf of broadcaster NOS.

Blokker announced major overhauls of its Dutch operations in 2015 and 2016 and said at the time the shops were not part of the reorganisations. However, the company did not rule out closing stores and did say up to 800 jobs would go, NOS points out.

By the beginning of 2014 there were 599 Blokker stores nationwide, but in January 2017, the total had gone down to 546, NOS said.

The company is currently overhauling 450 branches and giving them a new look but has not said what will happen to the remaining stores.

Earlier this week the company announced it is closing 69 Blokker stores in Belgium because of poor results.