Brabantia is watching Blokker’s fate with excitement

Brabantia, the Dutch manufacturer of home appliances, is eagerly awaiting the fate of Blokker, which is for sale. The retail chain is an important sales channel for Brabantia.

Blokker has disappeared from our retail landscape for quite some time, but the retail chain still exists in the Netherlands. For the time being, because Blokker is finding it difficult to compete against the competition from Hema and Action and e-commerce players such as Bol. Last month it was announced that Blokker is for sale, but the question is whether there is interest in the faltering formula.

Blokker’s fate is also important for Brabantia, the Dutch manufacturer of household appliances such as pedal bins and ironing boards. CEO Tijn van Elderen told the Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad. Brabantia has been selling items through Blokker stores for decades. ‘We have been doing good business with Blokker for 105 years. It is a very important channel for purchasing household items,” says Van Elderen. ‘It is of the utmost importance that the continuity of Blokker is guaranteed.’

Brabantia has an important production facility in Pelt, Limburg, where 333 people work. The company announced this week that it closed 2023 with a turnover of 162 million euros. That is about the same as the year before. Van Elderen says he is satisfied with the results achieved ‘despite the challenging market conditions’.

Brabantia does not announce results, but according to Van Elderen there was a positive result in 2023. In 2022, the company achieved a net profit of 1.5 million euros. In the middle of last year, the group sold the Dutchdeluxes brand, which includes wooden breadboards and leather aprons. The buyer was the Dutch Belgian Kees van Elderen, another member of the owner family behind Brabantia.