Marks & Spencer closes Dutch stores earlier than expected

By

Shomara Roosblad

Published
Oct 11, 2017

British department store Marks & Spencer is closing its Dutch branches in The Hague and Amsterdam earlier than previously planned. In November 2016 the retailer first announced it was closing all its stores in the European mainland.

The store closures were first planned for 31 October 2017. However, after the store in The Hague announced a last-chance sale, customers rapidly bought the last available products, leading to an early branch closure in The Hague on 6 October. The Amsterdam store also plans to close earlier then first announced, and is set to open its doors for the last time on Saturday 14 October.

This will be the second time that Marks & Spencer will exit the Dutch market. In 1992 it made its Dutch debut with a department store in the Dutch capital’s Kalverstraat, which closed in 2001. In 2013 it made its return to the Netherlands with a food store in Amsterdam, followed by a flagship store in The Hague a year later.

In 2014 the retailer announced its plans for 6,000 m2 flagship store in Amsterdam. The plans were abandoned in 2016. At the time a spokesperson said: “The plans have changed considerably since we first looked at the store and this has provoked interest from other parties. We’ve accepted an offer we couldn’t turn down as a result.” The retailer sold its site at Rokin in Amsterdam to Hudson’s Bay Company, which opened a Hudson’s Bay department store on 5 September.

A number of Marks & Spencer food products will still be available in the Netherlands at several grocery stores, including Albert Heijn.