Blokker applies for court protection as financial woes mount

High street household goods retailer Blokker has requested court protection from creditors and has closed its webshop, although physical stores will remain open.

The move had been hinted at in the Dutch media last week and was confirmed to staff on Monday morning.

“This is a very difficult decision and we regret the uncertainty that this has created among everyone who has supported us in recent years, including our staff, franchise operators, delivery firms and customers,” said chief executive Pauline Boerman in a statement.

The company has been struggling in recent years and still has a considerable coronavirus-related tax bill to deal with. In May the company signed a credit facility with US company Gordon Brothers which helps finance struggling high street chains. 

However, accountants group KPMG warned in August that the company would be in financial trouble by the autumn.

Blokker has almost 400 shops and a workforce of 5000. The company was founded in 1896 and the Blokker family sold it to Mirage in 2019 via a management buy-out.

Blokker Belgium went bankrupt at the end of 2020, less than a year after Mirage sold it to entrepreneur Dirk Bron. In September, bargain chain Big Bazar went out of business, two years after being sold by Mirage. Electronics chain BCC, part of Mirage since 2020, collapsed in the same month.

Mirage Retail has found a buyer for the Intertoys group, in Belgian firm ToyChamp. That deal still has to be approved by the Dutch competition authority.