Hudson’s Bay Nederland presented its brand portfolio as part of its preparations for its first ten stores. It is the first time the Canadian company opens a store abroad and it will position itself completely differently.
Flexible department store, designed on city-by-city basis
The company will have a blend of American and European brands, both established and upcoming. Dutch brands, including Scotch & Soda, G-Star and Denham will also be present. The product range spans fashion, beauty products and home decoration items. Stores will alter their product range to fit a city’s and local customer’s preferences. Their design is entirely flexible, allowing for quick and continuous adaptations.
Hudson’s Bay’s Dutch department stores will differ from its Canadian counterparts: “We will have a broader brand variation and we will update brands more quickly than in the United States. We start out with more than 500 brands and target a younger audience as well”, Baukema said. “We will not focus on the middle of the market, like in the United States, but also not on the higher echelons of the luxury scale, like at Bijenkorf.”
Special editions
A wide range of brands will develop a “limited edition” specifically for Hudson’s Bay to be part of the “The Limiteds” range, which includes the company’s coloured stripes. The collection, limited and numbered, can be preordered in the Hudson’s Bay app and will appear in shops as soon as they have officially opened their doors.
Experience will be an important part of the chain’s Dutch department stores. The Dyson brand will have so-called “experience units” in the store, with continuous product demonstrations from specialists. Every single one of the ten stores will have studios, rooms for exclusive brand launches and a stage for young talent. It will also introduce exclusive food formulas.
Mid-August: Dutch launch
The Canadian department store will launch its Dutch adventure mid-August, with a store in Amsterdam (Rokin), but there should be ten stores and a web shop by the end of the year. The bankrupted V&D chain’s stores will serve as the company’s new locations.
The Netherlands are the first country for Hudson’s Bay outside of its native Canada, but it also has plans for Germany. Hudson’s Bay Company, founded in 1670, is North America’s oldest company and its chain has even become a prominent department store formula with more than ninety locations in Canada.
