Yves Rocher to close Dutch stores

Cosmetics brand Yves Rocher is closing its outlets in the Netherlands: all seven brick-and-mortar stores will close this year, but the webshop will remain open.

14% from stores

At the end of this year, the curtain will fall over the Yves Rocher brick-and-mortar stores in the Netherlands: the rental contracts are due to expire, and the retail chain has decided not to extend them. All seven remaining stores will close, but the webshop and mail order activities will continue to operate. The company confirms this to Dutch news channel RTL Z.

The turnover of the branches has not been increasing for ten years. The number of visitors is also falling. Yves Rocher generates 12.6 million euros in sales, 66 per cent of which comes from mail order, 20 per cent from the online store and 14 per cent from sales in its shops. At its peak, in the late 1980s, the chain had 40 stores in the country and was the market leader.

Downward spiral

The French cosmetics label has been stuck in a downward spiral for decades: in 1988, the chain closed more than a quarter of its Dutch stores, a number that continued to fall back to 22 by 2006. Then, half of the stores had to close and 63 redundancies took place due to the closure of the distribution centre. The Dutch branch was placed under Belgian control, often to the discontent of franchisees.

In March, the first store in The Hague will close, followed by Zwolle, Rotterdam and Amsterdam in the middle of this year. At the end of 2021, the stores in Utrecht, Groningen and Almere will also close. The company is still trying to find solutions to keep the affected staff in employment.