Retailer / private label
UnclaimedA Dutch variety retailer built around affordable, predominantly own-brand products spanning household goods, clothing, food, stationery, and personal care.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
HEMA is a Dutch variety-store chain whose name originally stood for Hollandsche Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij Amsterdam, or “Holland Unitary Pricing Company Amsterdam.” It was established in Amsterdam on 4 November 1926 by Arthur Isaac and Leo Meijer, the owners of the Dutch department-store company De Bijenkorf. The original concept was distinctive for its time: a centrally located retailer offering a limited range of everyday products at standardized low price points. Early merchandise was sold at prices such as 10, 25 and 50 cents, with higher standard points added later. This format made HEMA accessible to a broad public and helped establish its long-term association with practical, inexpensive goods. The chain’s identity developed around a combination of affordability, functional design and a recognizable Dutch retail experience. Rather than operating primarily as a reseller of many external brands, HEMA has historically developed and sold a large proportion of products under its own brand. Its assortment has included household articles, kitchenware, clothing, underwear, food, stationery, office supplies, cosmetics, gardening products, bicycle accessories and seasonal goods. The own-brand model gives HEMA control over product specifications, packaging, design and pricing, while allowing it to offer ranges that are coherent across stores and markets. HEMA was severely affected by the Second World War. The company had a comparatively large number of Jewish employees because of its historical ownership and employment links, and Jewish staff members were persecuted, dismissed and murdered during the Holocaust. Several branches were damaged or destroyed during wartime bombing, including locations in Arnhem, Rotterdam and Nijmegen. The company’s wartime losses are commemorated annually at its head office on the Dutch day of remembrance. After the war, HEMA abandoned its original fixed-price system because the economic conditions and cost structure that had supported it no longer existed. It then expanded its assortment and store network, becoming a broader general retailer. During the postwar decades HEMA developed a strong presence in Dutch town centres and became an early participant in franchising. Its expansion accelerated at several points, notably in 1997 when 20 stores opened in a single year. From the 1990s onward, the company also pursued international growth. It entered Belgium and Luxembourg and later expanded into France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany and Austria. The Spanish and British launches in 2014 represented a significant attempt to establish HEMA in new Western European markets. The United Kingdom operation was subsequently exited, and the Spanish store network was closed during 2022. Design has been an important part of HEMA’s differentiation. Since 1985, the company has organized an annual student design competition, encouraging practical and accessible product concepts. One of the best-known results was the rabbit-shaped whistling kettle designed by Nikolai Carels, which won in 1990 and entered HEMA stores in 1991. The product became an example of the way HEMA combines everyday utility with distinctive, often playful design. HEMA has changed ownership several times, including transactions in 2007, 2018 and 2020. Under Lion Capital’s ownership, the company reintroduced standardized pricing in 2010 as a link to its historical retail proposition. In 2020, potential buyers included Flacks Group and a consortium led by Parcom Capital. Parcom and the Van Eerd Group subsequently entered exclusive negotiations, leading to a change in ownership structure. In February 2026, the Van Eerd family was reported to have acquired the remaining stake and become the chain’s sole owner. HEMA’s current strategic emphasis is its established Benelux base and selected European markets, supported by stores, digital commerce, own-brand development and partnerships.
History
HEMA began trading in Amsterdam on 4 November 1926. Its founders, Arthur Isaac and Leo Meijer, also owned the luxury department store De Bijenkorf. The new chain was designed as a lower-priced counterpoint to conventional department stores and used standardized price points as a central operating principle. The Dutch name reflected this pricing concept. Stores were placed in prominent town-centre locations, while the assortment concentrated on generic household and everyday goods. The format gave HEMA a clear social identity. Its prices made the chain accessible to ordinary consumers, although the association with low prices also produced class-based stereotypes among wealthier Dutch customers. Over time, HEMA’s retail proposition became less about a narrow fixed-price structure and more about a broad own-brand assortment combining practicality, affordability and recognizable design. The Second World War was a particularly traumatic period. HEMA had many Jewish employees, and the company was targeted by antisemitic persecution. Jewish personnel were removed from employment, and many were later murdered in concentration camps. HEMA stores also suffered physical destruction: branches in Arnhem, Rotterdam and Nijmegen were among those annihilated or badly affected by wartime bombing. The Rotterdam operation reopened in another part of the city. HEMA commemorates employees and others who died during the war at an annual remembrance ceremony at its head office. After 1945, the original standardized pricing model was no longer sustainable. HEMA shifted toward a wider assortment, adding or expanding categories such as apparel, food, office supplies, gardening equipment and bicycle products. The company became one of the first Dutch retailers to make significant use of franchising during the 1950s. This helped extend its reach beyond directly operated stores and supported its position as a familiar national chain. HEMA’s growth continued through the second half of the twentieth century. The company expanded its store base and retained a strong connection with Dutch urban shopping streets. A notable acceleration occurred in 1997, when 20 branches opened at once. Its own-brand strategy became increasingly important: HEMA generally designed or specified products itself and sold them through its own retail network, rather than relying on a large portfolio of external consumer brands. Product design became an additional source of identity. In 1985 HEMA began an annual student design competition. The competition encouraged useful products with accessible prices and a distinctive visual character. Nikolai Carels’s rabbit-shaped whistling kettle, the winner in 1990, was introduced in HEMA stores in 1991 and became one of the most recognizable examples of the program’s commercial impact. International expansion began in earnest from the 1990s. HEMA established operations in Belgium and Luxembourg and later entered France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany and Austria. In 2014, chief executive Ronald van Zetten announced new expansion into Spain and the United Kingdom. The first Spanish store opened in Madrid on 3 April 2014, while the first British store opened at Victoria Place above London Victoria station on 12 June 2014. The British network reached seven stores before HEMA later exited the market in 2021. The Spanish operation was also closed, with all Spanish stores leaving the market during 2022. Ownership changed repeatedly in the twenty-first century. HEMA was sold in 2007, again in 2018 and again in 2020. Under Lion Capital, the company reintroduced standard pricing in 2010, linking the modern chain to its historical proposition. In 2020, the prospect of another sale attracted interest from Flacks Group and from a consortium associated with Parcom Capital. The Van Eerd Group and Parcom entered exclusive negotiations in October of that year. The resulting ownership structure placed the retailer under the influence of the Van Eerd family and Parcom. The company then concentrated on markets where it had stronger recognition and operating prospects. Egas Reparaz became chief executive during this period, and HEMA announced its British exit in 2021. It also sold its bakery operations to Bacu in November 2021. By 2023, the chain had almost 750 branches in nine countries, although the precise country mix and the use of partnerships or franchise arrangements varied. In February 2026, the Van Eerd family was reported to have bought the remaining stake, making it the sole owner. HEMA remains an active European retailer centered on own-brand everyday goods, physical stores and online sales.
- 2026
Van Eerd family reported to become sole owner
[1]The Van Eerd family was reported to have acquired the remaining stake in HEMA.
- 2022
HEMA closes its Spanish stores
[1]The chain completed its withdrawal from Spain during 2022.
- 2021
HEMA exits the United Kingdom and sells its bakeries
[1]HEMA announced the sale of its six British stores and transferred its bakery operations to Bacu.
- 2014
HEMA enters Spain and the United Kingdom
[1]The first Spanish store opened in Madrid in April, followed by the first British store in London in June.
- 2010
Standard pricing is reintroduced
[1]Under Lion Capital ownership, HEMA restored a standardized-price element associated with its historic retail model.
- 1997
Major store-opening acceleration
[1]HEMA opened 20 branches in one year, marking one of the chain’s largest expansion pushes.
- 1991
Le Lapin whistling kettle enters stores
[1]The rabbit-shaped kettle by Nikolai Carels, winner of the 1990 design competition, began being sold by HEMA.
- 1985
Student design competition begins
[1]HEMA launched an annual student design competition that became a continuing source of practical, distinctive product concepts.
- 1950
HEMA becomes an early Dutch franchisor
[1]During the 1950s, HEMA became one of the first Dutch retail chains to use franchising as part of its expansion.
- 1940
HEMA is affected by wartime persecution and destruction
[1]Jewish employees were persecuted and dismissed during the occupation, while several branches were destroyed or severely damaged during the war.
Products and positioning
Affordable, design-conscious everyday retail for a broad mass-market audience, with a strong emphasis on own-brand products and practical Dutch identity.
Household and kitchen · 1926
HEMA own-brand household goods
HEMA’s household assortment includes kitchenware, storage, cleaning products, tableware, home textiles and other practical domestic goods. These products express the chain’s core proposition: simple, functional design at accessible prices, generally developed or specified under the HEMA brand rather than assembled from many external labels.
Apparel
HEMA clothing
Clothing is one of HEMA’s major categories and includes everyday apparel, underwear, sleepwear, children’s clothing and seasonal basics. The range is positioned around practical use, broad accessibility and own-brand consistency rather than premium fashion branding.
Food and bakery
HEMA food
HEMA sells packaged food, snacks, confectionery, drinks and other grocery-style products alongside food served through its retail and hospitality operations. Bakery production was transferred to Bacu in 2021, while food remains an important part of the store experience and own-brand offer.
Stationery
HEMA stationery and school supplies
The stationery range covers writing instruments, notebooks, paper products, school supplies, desk accessories and related office goods. It extends HEMA’s traditional focus on inexpensive, useful articles and is also a visible area for seasonal and design-led products.
Kitchenware · 1991
Le Lapin whistling kettle
Designed by Nikolai Carels, the rabbit-shaped whistling kettle won HEMA’s 1990 student design competition and entered the assortment in 1991. It became a notable example of HEMA’s ability to turn an accessible everyday object into a recognizable design product.
Controversies
2021
Hema Shanghai fined over food advertising claims
Shanghai market regulators found that Hema Network Technology Co. made false advertising claims about rice and made claims about the health and medical functions of rice. The company was ordered to stop publishing the ads and was fined 500,000 yuan.
Marketing campaigns
- 1985HEMA student design competition
Netherlands
HEMA established an annual competition inviting students to develop practical products suitable for the chain’s accessible, own-brand retail model.
Outcome. The program produced products including the Le Lapin whistling kettle and became a long-running part of HEMA’s design identity.
Brand decisions
2026
Van Eerd family acquires remaining HEMA stakeM&ABackground
HEMA had undergone several ownership changes, including a transaction involving the Van Eerd Group and Parcom.
Action taken
The Van Eerd family was reported to have purchased the stake it did not previously own, taking 100% ownership of the Dutch retailer.
Aftermath
HEMA continued as a privately owned retail chain under family control.
2021
Concentrate on selected European marketsStrategyBackground
HEMA reviewed its international footprint after operating in multiple European countries with differing levels of market traction.
Action taken
The company announced its exit from the United Kingdom and shifted strategic attention toward the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France, while Germany and Austria were considered potential growth markets.
Aftermath
The decision reduced direct exposure to the British and later Spanish markets and emphasized markets closer to HEMA’s established base.
2021
Transfer bakery operations to BacuM&ABackground
HEMA reviewed activities that could be supplied by specialized partners while retaining the products within its retail assortment.
Action taken
The chain announced the sale of its bakeries to Bacu, which already supplied baked goods to Jumbo.
Aftermath
Bacu became the bakery producer for HEMA, allowing the retailer to continue offering bakery products without directly operating the transferred bakeries.
2014
Expand into Spain and the United KingdomStrategyBackground
HEMA sought to extend its European store network beyond its established Benelux and French markets.
Action taken
The company opened its first Spanish store in Madrid and its first British store in London, followed by additional British locations.
Aftermath
HEMA later sold its British stores in 2021 and closed its Spanish stores during 2022.
2010
Reintroduce standardized pricingStrategyBackground
HEMA’s original fixed-price model had been abandoned after the Second World War, but the concept remained strongly associated with the brand.
Action taken
Under Lion Capital ownership, HEMA brought back a standardized-price element to reconnect the contemporary chain with its historical proposition.
Aftermath
The move reinforced HEMA’s affordability positioning, although the modern assortment continued to cover a much broader range than the original price-point format.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Hema Shanghai fined over food advertising claims[3]
Shanghai market regulators found that Hema Network Technology Co. made false advertising claims about rice and made claims about the health and medical functions of rice. The company was ordered to stop publishing the ads and was fined 500,000 yuan.
Sources3 sources
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