The branch of electronics store BCC on Sontplein in Groningen will close on 3 February. Garden furniture store Buitenhof will open April 1 in the vacant retail building.
BCC opened on September 29, 2021 at Sontplein. “But the location in Groningen did not yield nearly enough,” says Caspar Klinkhamer, CEO of the company. The store still has branches in Leeuwarden and Hoogeveen in the North. According to Klinkhamer, the fact that the store was on the first floor played a role. “Those stairs were a barrier for a lot of people, I think.”
Fourteen employees worked at the location in Groningen, says Klinkhamer. Some of them may be able to work at Buitenhof, for others there is a social plan. Klinkhamer does not rule out the possibility of opening a new branch in Groningen soon, but there are no concrete plans yet.
New tenant
Buitenhof Tuinmeubelen is taking over the lease from BCC, says Wiebe Kooiker, manager of the retail park. Therefore, the electronics store could easily get out of the contract. The location in Groningen will be the 29th of the company and the first location in the North.
Winkelpark Sontplein, on the southeast side of the Groningen, is almost full. Kooiker is only busy building a catering business on the square. “We are still discussing this with the municipality.”