Blokker‘s bankruptcy clear-out sale has yielded more than expected. Former CEO Roland Palmer paid one million euros for the intellectual property of the retailer, which he will reboot.
Better than expected
The clear-out sale in the approximately 400 stores and distribution centre has yielded more than 103 million euros, according to the recently published second bankruptcy report reported by faillissementsdossier.nl . According to the administrators, this is thanks to the efforts of the remaining staff, who “made every effort to make the sale a success”.
Of those 103 million euros, 27 million went to repaying American financier Gordon Brothers, 25 million was for financing the sale (e.g. additional staff, rent and logistics). The lion’s share of the remaining 50 million euros goes to the tax authorities.
Restart
Former Blokker CEO Roland Palmer and his mother, Ans Blokker, bought the intellectual property of the bankrupt retail chain, including the brand rights, for one million euros. Palmer, who is also Alibaba‘s General Manager Europe, wants to restart the chain through a webshop and the retailer’s 45 franchise stores, but the chain will also open additional stores again.
Blokker went bankrupt in November 2024 after persistent financial problems. Parent company Mirage Retail Group was also dragged into that bankruptcy. The Belgian branch of the non-food retailer was already sold to Dirk Bron in February 2020. He renamed the chain Mega World, but went bankrupt after less than a year of turbulence.
