Vroom & Dreesmann

Vroom & Dreesmann

Company type	Private
Industry	Retail
Founded	1887
Founder	Willem Vroom and Anton Dreesmann
Defunct	31 December 2015
Fate	Declared bankrupt; stores closed by 2016
Headquarters	Amsterdam , Netherlands
Area served	Netherlands
Products	Apparel, footwear, jewelry, beauty products, books, home entertainment systems, electronics, stationery, greeting cards, posters, furniture, household items, restaurant services (La Place)
Number of employees	approx. 10,000 (at closure)
Parent	Sun Capital Partners (2010–2015)
Website	vd.nl

Vroom & Dreesmann (commonly known as V&D) was a prominent Dutch department store network established in 1887.

By the year 2015, V&D managed a total of 67 outlets throughout the Netherlands—comprising 64 department stores alongside 3 independent locations of La Place, its former subsidiary restaurant brand with both company-owned and franchised venues nationwide. The merchandise assortment at V&D included apparel, footwear, jewelry, beauty products, books, home entertainment systems, electronics, stationery, greeting cards, posters, furniture, and household items. Most locations featured an in-store La Place restaurant, travel agency services, and ATMs; larger stores additionally contained bakery sections.

Establishment and Growth, 1887–1972

Initiated in 1887 by founders Willem Vroom and Anton Dreesmann, the inaugural store opened on Weesperstraat in Amsterdam. The company experienced swift expansion across the Netherlands until 1972.

Stabilization Period for Vroom & Dreesmann, 1972–2007

In 1972, Vroom & Dreesmann underwent restructuring to become Vendex; by 1982 it was renamed Vendex International. The proprietary restaurant chain La Place was introduced in 1987. In 1988, leadership transitioned from CEO Anton Dreesman to Abraham Verhoef.

In 1999, Vendex merged with Koninklijke Bijenkorf Beheer (KBB), proprietor of retail chains De Bijenkorf and Hema, adopting the new name Vendex KBB. This merger granted the company the prestigious royal title "Koninklijk".

In 2004, an investment consortium including KKR, Alpinvest, and Permira acquired Vendex KBB. Although the royal designation was lost, the firm retained the letter "K" within its name. The following year, Vendex KBB rebranded itself as Maxeda.

V&D’s Decline and Insolvency, 2007–2015

In 2007, Vroom & Dreesmann adopted the simplified brand name V&D and replaced its traditional red, white, and blue logo with a black version. The company launched its website vd.nl in 2008. Between 2010 and 2015, V&D operated under the ownership of Sun Capital Partners.

By February 2015, numerous challenges cast doubt on V&D's viability:

• The surge in online retail combined with V&D’s delayed entry into e-commerce.
• Market share erosion due to budget-focused competitors like Swedish H&M and Irish Primark.
• An unclear brand positioning that failed to differentiate from both value retailers and premium stores such as De Bijenkorf.
• Previous owners’ divestment of V&D real estate assets resulted in increased operational expenses.

Efforts to resolve these issues included negotiating rent reductions and employee wage concessions while owners injected capital; however, these measures proved inadequate. By mid-March 2015, unresolved rental disputes persisted in locations such as Den Bosch and Heerlen. In May, V&D sought further rent relief and formulated a revised business strategy aimed at achieving profitability within two years.

In December 2015, the company filed for court protection due to insolvency. Its online platform ceased processing sales transactions, and acceptance of gift cards and air miles was discontinued. On 31 December 2015, V&D was declared bankrupt. Despite this status, liquidators kept stores operational while exploring restructuring options and potential acquisitions.

On 26 January 2016, supermarket operator Jumbo purchased the subsidiary restaurant chain La Place. Attempts to transfer ownership of the retail stores centered on Roland Kahn’s CoolCat but were unsuccessful by mid-February. Consequently, approximately 10,000 employees faced job losses as operations ended after more than a century of trading.

Hudson's Bay, 2017–2019

During the closing stages of V&D, the Canadian retail giant Hudson's Bay Company arranged to acquire the majority of the former V&D store locations without purchasing the company itself. In May 2016, HBC revealed intentions to take over as many as 20 ex-V&D outlets by 2017, committing CAD $340 million and generating approximately 2,500 permanent jobs alongside 2,500 temporary construction positions. These establishments operated under the banners of "Hudson's Bay" and "Saks Off Fifth".

By mid-2019, HBC continued managing 15 stores situated in former V&D sites but declared on August 31 that all would cease operations by the end of that year, signaling its withdrawal from the Dutch retail sector.

V&D web store, since 2018

In 2018, entrepreneurs Ronald van Zetten, Roland Kahn, and Jaco Scheffers purchased the rights to the V&D brand and subsequently launched an online retail platform.

LRG Online Ltd, 2025

In 2025, LRG Online Ltd took ownership of Vroom & Dreesmann with the objective of reviving V&D as a digital department store.

Stores

At the time of its shutdown in 2016, V&D maintained a network of 62 stores located in key Dutch cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Groningen, Maastricht, among many others throughout the country.