Blokker franchisees strike stock deal with entrepreneur Kooistra

- (https://kooistra.com/2025/01/10/)

Blokker franchisees have struck a deal with Frisian entrepreneur Eric Kooistra over the 200 shipping containers full of Blokker stock he bought up at the end of last year. The 45 franchisees, who have joined forces, will place weekly orders with his company Kooistra.com. “So we are taking over part of the wholesale function,” Eric Kooistra told RetailTrends.

According to him, the kind of goods Kooistra managed to get hold of can fill 30 percent of a Blokker franchisee’s shop. They are mainly fast sellers, such as pans and baking tins, sold under Blokker’s own logo.

The franchisees agreed with Kooistra that any new shops under the Blokker format can join on the same terms. “The franchisees have guts. I think it’s impressive that they dare to take such big steps so quickly. For them it’s very good that the items with the Blokker logo won’t end up with competitors. If you want to rebuild a brand, it’s not good if the same stuff is also lying further down the high street.”

Military operation It is not yet known when the first items will be delivered to the Blokker shops. Kooistra thinks it could take a week or two. “It’s a kind of military operation. We have to make sure nothing goes wrong and all the systems connect properly.”

According to Kooistra, the timing of the deal was perfect. “Many franchisees enthusiastically bought the warehouse empty at Blokker’s receiver. Certain items sell out quickly and can now be restocked. That way there are no empty shelves in the shops.”

By his own account, Kooistra has had no contact with the new owner Roland Palmer. “He is focusing on negotiations about which shops he will continue with and is not getting involved in supply.”

A good living Kooistra cannot disclose how much he paid for the goods because of a confidentiality obligation. In any case, the entrepreneur expects his investment of millions of euros to pay off well. “If everything runs reasonably smoothly, we’ll make a good living out of it.”