HEMA (store)

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title: "HEMA (store)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["department-stores-of-the-netherlands", "privately-held-companies-of-the-netherlands", "retail-companies-of-the-netherlands", "retail-companies-established-in-1926", "discount-stores-of-the-netherlands", "dutch-brands", "2007-mergers-and-acquisitions", "2018-mergers-and-acquisitions", "variety-stores", "companies-that-have-filed-for-chapter-15-bankruptcy", "companies-formerly-owned-by-maxeda", "companies-owned-by-marcel-boekhoorn"] description: "Dutch discount retail chain" topic_path: "geography/netherlands" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HEMA_(store)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Dutch discount retail chain ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]

Field	Value
name	Hema
logo	HEMA_Logo.svg
logo_size	150px
image	HEMA_Hoofdkantoor.jpg
native_name	Hollandsche Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij Amsterdam
native_name_lang	nl
type	Private
industry	Retail
foundation	in Amsterdam
hq_location	Amsterdam, Netherlands
area_served	Netherlands
Austria
Belgium
Germany
Luxembourg
France
Spain
Mexico
Qatar
United Arab Emirates
key_people	Saskia Egas Reparaz
services	furnishings
fashion
photo service
foods
and other
revenue	€2.2 billion (2024)
net_income	€93 million (2024)
owner	Mississippi Ventures
Parcom
homepage
::

| name = Hema | logo = HEMA_Logo.svg | logo_size = 150px | image = HEMA_Hoofdkantoor.jpg | native_name = Hollandsche Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij Amsterdam | native_name_lang = nl | type = Private | industry = Retail | foundation = in Amsterdam | founder = | hq_location = Amsterdam, Netherlands | locations = | area_served = Netherlands Austria Belgium Germany Luxembourg France Spain Mexico Qatar United Arab Emirates | key_people = Saskia Egas Reparaz | products = | services = furnishings fashion photo service foods and other | revenue = €2.2 billion (2024) | net_income = €93 million (2024) | owner = Mississippi Ventures Parcom | num_employees = | parent = | homepage = ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Hema_Nieuwendijk_Amsterdam_May_2017.jpg" caption="Inside HEMA on [[Nieuwendijk]], [[Amsterdam]], 2017"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/HEMA_interieur.JPG" caption="Merchandise for sale at a Dutch HEMA store"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Hema_Encuentro_Oceanía_Mexico_City.png" caption="HEMA in Mexico City at [[Encuentro Oceanía]] mall"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/HEMA_Hot_Dog.jpg" caption="The Hema hot dog is a staple of the Dutch retailer"] ::

HEMA (; originally an acronym for Hollandsche Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij Amsterdam, "Standard Price Company of Holland, Amsterdam") is a Dutch variety chain store. The chain is characterized by relatively low pricing of generic household goods, which are mostly made by and for the chain itself, often with an original design. The owner is Dutch billionaire Marcel Boekhoorn, who has lost control to bondholders.

History

The first HEMA opened in Amsterdam on 4 November 1926, set up by the owners of the luxury department store De Bijenkorf. Originally, as a price-point retailer at prime locations in town centres, goods were sold using standard prices (hence its name), with everything having a standard price of 10, 25 or 50 cents, and later also 75 and 100 cents. The relative economic boom in the Netherlands in the period 1900–1930 benefited HEMA.

During World War II, a number of Jewish employees (there was a relatively high number because of the Jewish roots of the company) were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. This is commemorated every year by laying a wreath on 4 May, the Dutch Remembrance of the Dead, at the head office.

After World War II, the standard pricing model could not be sustained and was abandoned. A period of rapid expansion followed. Locations carry a wide variety of goods, including clothing, food, bicycle equipment, gardening tools, and office supplies.

Ownership changes

::data[format=table]

Year	Remarks
1999	Koninklijke Bijenkorf Beheer merged with Vroom & Dreesmann to form Vendex KBB
2004	Maxeda bought Vendex KBB which owned HEMA, V&D and De Bijenkorf.
2007 (July)	HEMA sold to the British investment company Lion Capital. Analysts estimate the purchase at €1.3 billion, roughly equal to HEMA's 2006 sales. At the time, HEMA employed approximately 10,000 employees in 336 branches in the Benelux and Germany.
2018	Lion Capital sells HEMA to Ramphastos Investments, owned by Dutch billionaire Marcel Boekhoorn
::

21st century

In 2010, under Lion Capital ownership, standard pricing was reintroduced.{{cite web |url=http://www.hema.nl/SiteCollectionDocuments/HEMA_corporate_NL.pdf |title=HEMA's verhaal |website=hema.nl |publisher=HEMA |date=January 2010 |access-date=2014-04-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025152814/http://www.hema.nl/SiteCollectionDocuments/HEMA_corporate_NL.pdf |archive-date=2014-10-25 |language=nl}}

In 2015, Hema was the most indispensable brand in the Netherlands for the 8th time running.

In 2020, Hema's proprietors placed the potential sale of the business on their agenda. Flacks Group, an investment company based in Miami, Florida, and a consortium led by Amsterdam-based private equity firm Parcom Capital displayed the greatest interest in acquiring the chain.

The company announced in July 2021 that it would withdraw completely from the UK market by closing its six stores there. Under the leadership of its new ceo, Egas Reparaz, the company would focus more on its core markets of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. With this renewed focus on core markets, the company also decided to withdraw from Spain and close its stores there during 2022. Two other countries in which it was active in 2021, Germany and Austria, were seen as potential growth markets and would be explored further. Some collaborations in other countries were respected, but not further developed. On November 24, 2021, it was announced that HEMA would sell its bakeries to Bacu, which already baked for Jumbo and would do the same for HEMA.

Branches

HEMA has also expanded into other countries since the 1990s.

HEMA branches by country: ::data[format=table]

Country	Number of stores	Since
	555 (2018)	1926
	url=https://www.ad.nl/economie/hoe-hema-in-dubai-zonder-worst-bouwt-aan-een-wereldmerk~a89a4b29/	title=Hoe Hema in Dubai (zonder worst) bouwt aan een wereldmerk
	106(2024)	1984
	78 (2020)	2009
	17 (2024)	2002
	4 (2016)	2006
::

On 4 January 2014, Hema's CEO Ronald van Zetten announced that it would branch out to Spain and the United Kingdom opening the first stores within six months as well further expanding in France. The first Spanish store opened on 3 April on Calle Fuencarral in Madrid. The first British store opened in the Victoria Place shopping centre, above Victoria station, in London on 12 June 2014, and six more followed. By the summer of 2021, all had been closed. All stores in Spain closed in 2022.

References

References

1. (27 May 2025). "Koers HEMA zorgt voor meer klanten, omzet en winst".
2. (2020-08-20). "Iconic Dutch Retailer Hema Files for Chapter 15 Bankruptcy". BloombergQuint.
3. "Wij van de Bijenkorf - De fusie van Vendex en KBB".
4. (19 May 2016). "Distressed debt funds take an interest in Maxeda". RetailDetail EU.
5. (2007-07-06). "Maxeda rondt verkoop Hema aan Lion Capital af".
6. (18 October 2018). "Lion Capital sells Dutch retailer HEMA to Dutch billionaire". Reuters.
7. (2015-10-15). "Onmisbare Merken". EURIB.
8. BNR Webredactie. (2017-09-28). "HEMA: 'iedereen behoudt baan bij verkoop'". [[BNR Newsradio]].
9. (16 October 2020). "Hema via U-bocht richting Jumbo".
10. Schelfaut, Sanne. (2021-07-01). "Hema sluit winkels in Verenigd Koninkrijk".
11. (2021-07-01). "HEMA trekt zich na de zomer terug uit het Verenigd Koninkrijk".
12. (2021-09-23). "HEMA volgend jaar weg uit Spanje, zes winkels sluiten".
13. Schelfaut, Sanne. (2021-11-24). "Hema verkoopt bakkerijen aan Jumbo-bakker, recept tompouce blijft ongewijzigd".
14. Schelfaut, Sanne. (2019-09-18). "Hoe Hema in Dubai (zonder worst) bouwt aan een wereldmerk". AD.
15. "Sélectionnez un magasin HEMA". HEMA.
16. "Sélectionnez un magasin HEMA". HEMA.
17. "Wählen Sie eine HEMA-Filiale". HEMA.
18. "Luxembourg - HEMA". HEMA.
19. "HEMA closing in the UK".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::