Make-over to attract younger customers earns Hema small growth

Hema has given 125 stores a makeover last year, which allowed the almost one-hundred-year-old chain to raise its sales by 2 % and operating profit by 5 %. The Dutch retailer also managed to attract more young people.

Hema Café becomes permanent

Last year, Hema managed to raise its turnover to 2.2 billion euros and its operating profit to 93 million euros. CEO Saskia Egas Reparaz emphasises the importance of continuous investments in sustainability and efficiency, even in difficult market conditions. For example, the chain added fifteen new stores in Belgium and France.

A new store concept, ‘Hema 100’, ensures a more logical store lay-out and increased customer satisfaction, while the webshop was improved as well. In the Netherlands, a quarter of stores have now been renovated. A significant new integral part of the store concept is the addition of a Hema Café.

The consumer sees that Hema is “really itself again”, the chain indicated last year. Egas Reparaz also points out that more young people are finding their way to the stores. The company introduced a fully vegan care line last year and reduced its carbon emissions by 16 %. This year, Hema aims to reopen another 125 renovated stores and over twenty completely new locations.