A surprising deal: The Dutch e-tailer Wehkamp is taken over by the also Dutch shoe and fashion retailer Omoda.
A corresponding agreement has already been concluded between Omoda Brands and Wehkamp Retail Group Holding, the contractual partners announced. No information was provided about the financial amount of the transaction.
This means that Wehkamp comes back into Dutch hands. Wehkamp Retail Group Holding had been owned by the British private equity company Apax Partners since 2015. The takeover still requires the approval of all necessary parties, such as the Dutch Consumer and Market Authority.
Through the takeover, Omoda not only acquires Wehkamp, but also Kleertjes.com. Omoda has been expanding for years and has already added Assem, Shuz and Leurink to its portfolio in recent years. Omoda Brands now operates 42 Omoda stores and 20 Assem stores.
With the addition of Wehkamp and Kleertjes.com, Omoda becomes one of the largest Dutch fashion and lifestyle retailers. According to its own information, Omoda can thus compete with existing international platforms. The new group will achieve annual sales of around 600 million euros.
New structure
To finance the takeover, we worked with a ‘Dutch family office’. This participates in the financing and thereby receives a minority stake in the new group. The new group will be led by Jan Baan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Omoda. Martijn Hagman from Wehkamp Retail Group (WRG) will become co-CEO of the group until the end of 2027.
Another addition to the team is Erik-Jan Mares, former CEO of Zeeman. He will become chairman of the newly formed supervisory board of Omoda Brands.
Omoda wants to make Wehkamp ‘even more personal’
“The takeover of the Wehkamp Retail Group fits in with our ambition to build a group that can serve the Dutch fashion market in its entirety,” said Baan. “For us, Wehkamp is one of the icons of Dutch retail. The brand has a strong and loyal customer base as well as state-of-the-art logistics. Last year, Wehkamp already took the first steps towards a more clearly defined collection and a clearer positioning. With our boutique vision, we can now make Wehkamp even more personal.”
“Having initiated the expansion from shoes to clothing with Omoda less than five years ago, after this acquisition we will be active in all market segments with separate brands. This will allow us to offer even more consumers a relevant boutique experience. By combining our forces, we can accelerate our development. We can also continue to invest in a distinctive customer promise and the future positioning of all our brands.”
Martijn Hagman, CEO of WRG, adds: “The takeover record in recent years shows that Omoda Brands is able to bring about a transformation out of passion for fashion and love for retail. We are proud that Wehkamp is now back in Dutch hands. With Wehkamp and kleertjes.com, we are becoming part of an entrepreneurial family business with a long tradition. I am convinced that in this way Wehkamp will become what it once was.”
Omoda and Wehkamp: What the takeover means for both sides
Wehkamp will be able to benefit from Omoda Brands’ footwear expertise, according to the press release. Conversely, Wehkamp’s strong position in Home & Living, Beauty and Lingerie offers a clear opportunity for Omoda and Assem to expand into these categories in the future.
What is particularly interesting is that Wehkamp may be entering brick-and-mortar retail. The press release states that Wehkamp can benefit from Omoda Brands’ offline experience. In the future, the possible opening of some physical furniture stores under the Wehkamp brand will be examined. Wehkamp’s own home accessories brand, Nous, recently entered into a collaboration with the interior design chain Loods5. This makes the products available in a physical store for the first time.
In the long term, the parties want to consolidate sales of all brands in the WRG distribution center in Zwolle. This plan will be further developed in the coming period. “WRG’s extensive expertise and capacity in logistics and fulfillment can bring significant synergy benefits to the combination. Sharing technological infrastructure, adding new categories for the various brands and optimizing contracts creates room for further profitability growth.”
Wehkamp saved by Omoda
The fact that Wehkamp is being taken over is not in itself surprising. Wehkamp’s results have been declining for years. In the 2024-2025 financial year, sales fell by a further 6.8 percent to 514 million euros. The loss rose to 89.1 million euros. However, this loss was heavily impacted by a one-time goodwill write-down. Without this item, the loss would have been 8.8 million euros.
The company has been suffering from declining sales since 2022. The sales gain in the 2021-2022 financial year was mainly achieved by adding Kleertjes to the portfolio.
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