De Bijenkorf

De Bijenkorf
Company type	Private
Industry	Retail (department stores)
Founded	1870; 156 years ago
Founder	Simon Philip Goudsmit
Headquarters	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Area served	Netherlands
Products	Department store goods, including home furnishings (Bijenkorf Wonen)
Owner	Selfridges Group (since 2011)
Number of employees	Approximately 5,000 (historical data from 1940) (1940)
Website	www.debijenkorf.nl

De Bijenkorf (; literally meaning "the beehive") represents a prestigious department store chain in the Netherlands, with its principal location situated on Dam Square in Amsterdam. This retail group is under the ownership of the Selfridges Group, which also controls Britain's Selfridges as well as Ireland's Brown Thomas and Arnotts.

From 1929 until 2012, De Bijenkorf was affiliated with the International Association of Department Stores, with several of its CEOs having served as presidents of the organization.

History

De Bijenkorf originated in 1870 when Simon Philip Goudsmit (1845–1889) established a modest haberdashery at 132 Nieuwendijk, one of Amsterdam’s oldest commercial streets. The initial focus was on yarn and ribbons, supported by a small team of four employees. Following Goudsmit’s passing in 1889, his widow, alongside cousin Arthur Isaac and son Alfred, expanded the enterprise by acquiring neighboring properties.

By 1909, these buildings were replaced with a new construction. That same year marked the beginning of work on a new store adjacent to a temporary structure erected on the former Beurs van Zocher site.

In 1926, De Bijenkorf inaugurated a second branch in The Hague, designed by architect Piet Kramer, showcasing the distinctive style of Amsterdam School architecture.

A third outlet opened its doors in Rotterdam in 1930, conceived by architect Willem Dudok. Its grand opening attracted approximately 700,000 visitors.

Impact of German Occupation

During the Nazi occupation (1940–1945), the Rotterdam location was severely damaged in the German bombing of Rotterdam in 1940, which devastated much of the city’s historic core. The surviving section remained operational until 1957 but was ultimately demolished in 1960 to accommodate the construction of the Rotterdam Metro. Subsequently, a new store was designed by Hungarian-American architect Marcel Breuer (1902–1981).

Following the invasion, shares held by Jewish owners were confiscated and transferred to German firm Riensch & Held. In November 1943, German businessman Herbert Tengelmann joined the board as Wehrwirtschaftsführer. Of roughly 5,000 employees in May 1940, about 1,000 were Jewish; tragically, 737 perished during the Holocaust. The proprietors Isaac and Alfred Goudsmit escaped to the United States. After liberation in 1945, Dutch Jewish owners regained control of their assets.

Ownership Timeline

Year	Affiliation	Proprietor	Nationality	Notes
1966	Koninklijke Bijenkorf Beheer (KBB)	Dutch
1999	Vendex KBB NV	Dutch	Resulted from merger between KBB and Vroom en Dreesman; included ownership of HEMA.
2004	Vendex KBB NV	American, Dutch	Maxeda acquired Vendex KBB for EUR 2.4 billion; subsequently delisted it and integrated into Maxeda in 2006; sold HEMA for EUR 1.3 billion to Lion Capital; phased out Vendex KBB name. Maxeda’s portfolio included V&D, La Place, De Bijenkorf, Hunkemöller, and MS Mode.
2004	Koninklijke Vendex KBB BV
2004	Vendex KBB BV
2006	Maxeda
2011	Selfridges Group Ltd.	British	Ownership extended to UK’s Selfridges, Ireland’s Brown Thomas and Arnott's, along with Canada’s Holt Renfrew and Ogilvy.
2022	Selfridges Group Ltd.	Central Group/Signa Holding	Thai, Austrian	Acquired Selfridges (four stores), Brown Thomas (six stores), Arnott's; already controlled Berlin’s KaDeWe, Switzerland’s Globus, and Italy’s La Rinascente.

Stores

By 2014, De Bijenkorf maintained a network of seven outlets throughout the Netherlands. The most extensive stores, located in Amsterdam, The Hague, and Rotterdam, encompass retail areas ranging from 15,000 to 21,000 square meters. Smaller branches, with floor space between 7,500 and 10,000 m², can be found in Amstelveen, Eindhoven, Utrecht, and Maastricht.

Several stores in Arnhem, Groningen, Enschede, Breda, and Den Bosch were shuttered by early 2015 as the parent company redirected its efforts toward premium market segments and online commerce under a high-end service model. The Arnhem store was succeeded by Primark, which influenced the local retail landscape.

The Bijenkorf Wonen concept specialized in home furnishings, offering products such as bath and bed linens, kitchen tools, small appliances, glassware, dishware, and decorative items.