De Bijenkorf
Dutch premium department-store retailer offering fashion, beauty, accessories, homeware, food, and lifestyle products through stores and e-commerce.
Last updated October 16, 2026
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Overview
De Bijenkorf is a Dutch premium department-store retailer headquartered in Amsterdam. Its name means “the beehive,” and the company is one of the Netherlands’ best-known department-store brands. It began in 1870 when Simon Philip Goudsmit opened a small haberdashery shop on the Nieuwendijk in Amsterdam. The business gradually expanded from a specialist shop into a broad department store, reflecting the development of modern urban retail in the Netherlands. A decisive stage in the company’s development came with the opening of the Amsterdam Dam Square store in 1914. The building, designed by W. M. Dudok, established De Bijenkorf as a major city-centre destination and became one of the most recognizable retail buildings in the country. Additional landmark stores followed in The Hague and Rotterdam. These locations helped the company combine department-store breadth with architectural identity, visual merchandising, cultural programming, and service-oriented retail. De Bijenkorf’s assortment is concentrated on premium and luxury-oriented categories. It sells clothing, footwear, handbags, watches, jewellery, cosmetics, fragrance, home furnishings, tableware, gifts, food, and selected lifestyle products. Its offer includes international designer and luxury labels as well as private-label and exclusive merchandise. The retailer has traditionally positioned itself above mass-market department stores, competing through brand selection, store environment, seasonal presentations, customer service, events, and digital convenience rather than through lowest-price retailing. The company has also been associated with notable advertising and window-display traditions. Its Christmas windows, seasonal campaigns, special installations, and collaborations have helped turn the stores into destinations beyond ordinary shopping. The Amsterdam flagship in particular occupies a prominent place in Dutch retail culture and tourism. De Bijenkorf has used a combination of physical stores, online retail, delivery services, loyalty activity, and digital content to extend the department-store proposition across channels. Ownership changed several times during the modern period. After earlier ownership by Dutch retail interests, De Bijenkorf became part of the British Selfridges Group in 2011. Selfridges Group was subsequently acquired by Thailand’s Central Group, together with Signa, in 2022. Following Signa’s financial collapse and restructuring, Central Group became the controlling owner of the Selfridges Group. De Bijenkorf therefore operates as a privately held subsidiary within an international premium-retail portfolio that also includes Selfridges and other European department-store businesses. De Bijenkorf remains active in the Netherlands, with stores in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, and Eindhoven, alongside its Dutch online store. Its current business is shaped by the challenges facing department stores generally: the shift to e-commerce, the need to maintain distinctive physical experiences, changing consumer spending, sustainability expectations, and the pressure to offer desirable brands while managing inventory and operating costs. Despite these pressures, the brand continues to represent premium department-store retail in the Netherlands.
History
De Bijenkorf was founded in Amsterdam in 1870 by Simon Philip Goudsmit. The original business was a small haberdashery shop on the Nieuwendijk, selling sewing materials and related goods. As the business grew, it broadened its assortment and adopted the department-store model, bringing many retail categories together under one name. In 1914, De Bijenkorf opened its major store on Dam Square in Amsterdam. The building, designed by architect W. M. Dudok, gave the retailer a strong architectural identity and helped establish it as a central institution in Dutch shopping culture. The Amsterdam store became both a commercial flagship and a prominent urban landmark. De Bijenkorf later developed important stores in The Hague and Rotterdam, extending its presence into other major Dutch cities. During the twentieth century, the company expanded beyond conventional merchandise retail. Fashion, household products, cosmetics, gifts, food, and other categories were brought together in a format intended to make the department store a destination for a broad range of shopping occasions. The brand became known for presentation, window displays, catalogues, seasonal promotions, and service. Its Christmas windows and other visual campaigns became especially visible parts of the Dutch retail calendar. The company’s ownership and corporate structure changed during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. De Bijenkorf was acquired by the British Selfridges Group in 2011. This connected it with a group of premium department stores and gave the Dutch business an international corporate context while retaining its local brand identity and Dutch store network. In 2022, Selfridges Group was acquired by Thailand’s Central Group and Austria’s Signa. The transaction included De Bijenkorf as part of the group’s European department-store portfolio. Signa later entered insolvency proceedings, creating uncertainty around parts of its retail and real-estate holdings. Central Group subsequently became the controlling owner of Selfridges Group. De Bijenkorf continued operating as a Dutch subsidiary within that group. The retailer’s modern business combines physical department stores with e-commerce. Its store network has included Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, and Eindhoven. The assortment is concentrated on premium fashion, beauty, accessories, home, gifts, food, and lifestyle products, with a mixture of international brands, designer labels, exclusive products, and own-brand merchandise. Like other department stores, De Bijenkorf has had to respond to online competition, changing shopping habits, high operating costs, sustainability concerns, and fluctuating discretionary spending. Its response has centred on omnichannel retail, curated brand selection, service, exclusive experiences, and the continued use of stores as destinations for fashion, culture, hospitality, and seasonal events. The Amsterdam flagship and the wider brand remain important symbols of premium department-store retail in the Netherlands.
- 2024
Central Group becomes controlling owner
[4]After Signa’s insolvency, Central Group took control of Selfridges Group and its department-store businesses.
- 2022
Selfridges Group acquisition
[3]Central Group and Signa completed their acquisition of Selfridges Group, which included De Bijenkorf.
- 2011
Acquisition by Selfridges Group
[5]De Bijenkorf became part of Selfridges Group, linking the Dutch retailer with an international premium-department-store group.
- 1914
Opening of the Dam Square flagship
[1]De Bijenkorf opened its major Amsterdam store on Dam Square, a building designed by W. M. Dudok that became a prominent retail and architectural landmark.
- 1870
Founding in Amsterdam
[1]Simon Philip Goudsmit founded the business as a small haberdashery shop on Amsterdam’s Nieuwendijk.
Products and positioning
Premium and luxury-oriented department-store retailer combining designer brands, curated lifestyle merchandise, service, architecture, visual merchandising, and omnichannel shopping.
Apparel
Fashion
De Bijenkorf’s fashion offer covers women’s and men’s clothing across contemporary, premium, designer, and luxury segments. The retailer combines established international labels with seasonal collections, accessories, footwear, and selected exclusive merchandise. Fashion is one of the brand’s principal traffic and positioning categories.
Beauty and personal care
Beauty
The beauty department includes cosmetics, skincare, haircare, fragrance, and related personal-care products. Its assortment is oriented toward premium and prestige brands and is supported by advice, gifting, seasonal selections, and online shopping.
Luxury accessories
Accessories, watches, and jewellery
Handbags, small leather goods, sunglasses, jewellery, watches, and other accessories extend the retailer’s fashion and luxury assortment. These categories serve both everyday premium purchases and gift occasions, with products from international brands and selected exclusive ranges.
Home furnishings
Home and lifestyle
The home assortment includes furniture, interiors, kitchenware, tableware, textiles, décor, and lifestyle products. It reflects the department-store model’s broad appeal while retaining De Bijenkorf’s premium and design-led orientation.
Gifts and food
Gifts and food
De Bijenkorf sells gifts, confectionery, food, and seasonal products, including items selected for Christmas and other celebrations. These categories support the retailer’s role as a destination for occasion-based shopping and seasonal visits.
Controversies
2026
Ceva Logistics data breach affects De Bijenkorf among other clients
Ceva Logistics, a subsidiary of CMA CGM Group, disclosed a data breach affecting its European contract logistics operations across eight warehouses. Impacted customers were notified on August 1. Client Valve stated the cyber-attack lasted from July 29 to August 1 and that hackers may have obtained names, email and home addresses, phone numbers and order details. Other impacted clients include Bol, De Bijenkorf, Ajax and ING.
2026
Ceva Logistics cyberattack and data breach
Ceva Logistics experienced a cyberattack that affected eight European warehouses and resulted in theft of customers' personal information from its systems. The incident caused shipping delays; Ceva said its investigation was ongoing and that some affected applications and services were back online.
Marketing campaigns
- Christmas window displays
Netherlands
De Bijenkorf’s Christmas window displays and seasonal store presentations are a long-running part of its retail identity. They use elaborate visual storytelling to attract visitors, reinforce the festive shopping season, and turn the flagship stores into public destinations.
Outcome. The displays strengthened the brand’s association with premium seasonal retail and helped make its stores visible beyond ordinary merchandise sales.
Brand decisions
2022
Selfridges Group sale to Central Group and SignaM&ABackground
Selfridges Group was offered for sale as premium department stores sought owners capable of supporting international operations and retail investment.
Action taken
Central Group and Signa completed the acquisition of Selfridges Group, including De Bijenkorf.
Aftermath
De Bijenkorf became part of a Central-and-Signa-controlled European premium-retail portfolio. Signa later entered insolvency proceedings, after which Central Group took control of Selfridges Group.
2011
Joining Selfridges GroupM&ABackground
De Bijenkorf sought to operate within a broader premium-retail structure as department stores faced increasing competition and changing consumer behaviour.
Action taken
The retailer was acquired by Selfridges Group.
Aftermath
De Bijenkorf retained its Dutch brand and store presence while becoming part of an international department-store portfolio.
Recent events
Ceva Logistics discloses data breach affecting European contract logistics operations[7]
Reported:
Ceva Logistics, a subsidiary of CMA CGM Group, disclosed a data breach that impacted its European contract logistics operations, affecting eight warehouses. The company notified impacted customers on August 1. Client Valve stated the cyber-attack lasted from July 29 to August 1 and that hackers may have obtained names, email and home addresses, phone numbers and order details. Other impacted clients include Bol, De Bijenkorf, Ajax and ING.
CEVA Logistics cyberattack disrupts European warehouses and exposes customer data[8]
Reported:
CEVA Logistics, a global logistics and supply-chain company and wholly owned subsidiary of CMA CGM, suffered a major cyberattack that most likely started on July 29, 2026 and affected at least eight warehouses across Europe. The incident exposed customer data and caused service delays for clients including Bol, De Bijenkorf and Valve, which warned customers about targeted scams. CEVA had not yet issued an official statement or filed a report with regulators.
Ceva Logistics cyberattack and data breach[9]
Reported:
Ceva Logistics experienced a cyberattack that affected eight European warehouses and resulted in theft of customers’ personal information from its systems. The incident caused shipping delays; Ceva said its investigation was ongoing and that some affected applications and services were back online.
- Unconfirmed
De Bijenkorf launches personal beauty stylist service[10]
De Bijenkorf launched a personal beauty stylist service at its Amsterdam and Rotterdam stores in the Netherlands. The brand-neutral stylists advise customers on skin care, hair care and make-up during bookable one-hour appointments costing €10.
Sources10 sources
- 1De Bijenkorfen.wikipedia.org
- 2De Bijenkorf official websitedebijenkorf.nl
- 3Central Group and Signa complete Selfridges dealreuters.com
- 4Central Group takes full control of Selfridgesreuters.com
- 5Acquisition by Selfridges Groupreuters.com
- 6Christmas window displaysdebijenkorf.nl
- 7Ceva Logistics data breach affects De Bijenkorf among other clientsinfosecurity-magazine.com
- 8Ceva Logistics data breach affects De Bijenkorf among other clientstechradar.com
- 9Ceva Logistics cyberattack and data breachtechcrunch.com
- 10De Bijenkorf 推出个人美容造型师服务cosmeticsbusiness.com
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