Former CEO saves Dutch retail icon Blokker

It seems to be a Christmas miracle: Dutch retail chain Blokker has been saved from bankruptcy… by its former CEO Roland Palmer. For the Englishman, who is part of the founding Blokker family, it is a surprising return after a painful break-up.

Ousted for being “too modern”

Founded in 1896, Blokker quickly became an ubiquitous icon in Dutch (and Belgian) shopping streets, but by the turn of the 21st century the chain was caught between two sides in the founding family. While the younger generation (including Palmer) advocated modernisation and warned against the threat of discounters such as Action, their predecessors were more conservative – which led to a painful severance in 2015. .

However, Palmer is said to be the anonymous buyer of the bankrupt chain, Dutch news medium FD reports on the authority of different sources. In all likelihood, he will want to protect the family heritage, while adding the lessons he has learnt as Director Belgium, Netherlands, the Nordics and the United Kingdom at Alibaba.