Furniture

Exclusive designer Piet Boon will no longer sell its furniture on its own, with retailer Linteloo taking over the furniture activities.

Dutch retail group Blokker Holding will make substantial changes to its formats after both the group's turnover and its profits decreased by 5 percent. The changes affect Blokker and Leen Bakker, the successfully updated Xenos chain will be expanded.

Swedish fashion giant H&M plans to open a first Belgian concept store for its H&M Home collection in Ghent. The brand has proven popular in Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands, according to H&M, which is why the chain wishes to move the brand to Belgium as well.

Interior design chain Xenos seeks further German expansion as it feels the Dutch market is already quite saturated and the German market offers a chance to expand.

Tens of new Auping stores in the Benelux area and in Germany have helped the Dutch chain to increase its turnover last year, while continued investments ought to prepare it for the future: another 20 million euro will be spent in the next few years to help to grow the company even faster.

Dutch Beter Bed does not expect sales to rise any time soon, despite the (small) Dutch economic recovery. The chain expects no improvement before the end of the year, pointing to previous experience with its German stores. 2013 was quite disastrous for Beter Bed, when turnover dropped 10 % because of the economic situation in the Netherlands.

Dutch chain Beter Bed is changing its image, as it no longer wishes to come across as a budget store and will no longer use its signature clown and slogan, after disappointing 2013 results.