By JEROEN KORTSCHOT
Jan 10, 2025 in FINANCIAL

AMSTERDAM - Blokker franchisees Alwin Piest and Carlo Thijssen have been promoted in recent weeks from provincial single-person managers to directors of a chain of 45 independent Blokker shops. They have a crucial role in Blokker's relaunch. "Everything has to be rebuilt from scratch," they said.

For the umpteenth time, Alwin Piest drove from Leek in Groningen's Westerkwartier district to Blokker's headquarters in Amsterdam. Fellow entrepreneur Carlo Thijssen is from Made in North Brabant. Both men have been running a Blokker shop on their own account in their hometowns for more than a decade.

Since the bankruptcy, Thijssen and Piest, as captains of the independents, have been walking out the door at the head office, where the trustee was put in charge.

Their shops remained open. "But we hardly saw the shop floor in December," says Thijssen. Piest adds: "While the liquidator was busy selling the 400 stores empty to pay creditors, the franchisees actually filled their warehouses with stock from the distribution centre in Geldermalsen."

Lots of goodwill among Blokker suppliers

That stock was not enough to get through the busy December month without empty shelves. Thijssen and Piest therefore made arrangements with 60 suppliers of pans, bins and dish racks. Piest: "Not all suppliers could help us. It is quite a difference whether you deliver ten thousand products in one place, or two hundred at 45 different addresses. With all separate invoices and payment terms with that."

"That it still succeeded can be called an achievement. And it is also because there is a lot of goodwill among the suppliers. They don't want to lose Blokker either."

Frisian buyout Eric Kooistra

Shops also need to be replenished all the time. This is helped by the fact that Frisian buyer Eric Kooistra made a deal for 200 containers of Blokker products a month ago. That threatened not to be paid because his ships were still at sea when Blokker went bankrupt.

Kooistra: "We were able to strike a nice deal with the franchisees. We will supply the shops in the coming year. Normally we prefer to bring large consignments to large customers, but for this we are happy to make an exception. Blokker belongs to all of us, after all. And when Palmer is ready to start his shops, he may join in too."

The deal with the buyer means that Blokker private label products will not end up in discount shops. "For us, it is also an opportunity to get rid of products we buy up again," says Kooistra.

Also approached by dozens of entrepreneurs

The franchise association has also been approached by dozens of entrepreneurs who do want to take over a closed branch of the chain to continue on their own account. That would help make joint sourcing and distribution of a new Blokker profitable.

Alwin Piest is positive about this. "I think there are about 20 promising candidates among them. Palmer has said that he sees it working with us and if he himself manages to get something like this through as well, then I see a very bright future for this company."