The retail chain went bankrupt last month. The stores would remain open until the end of this month to sell everything they have left.
“To optimize sales at store level, we will close stores in phases,” Blokker director Pauline Boerman writes in the letter, which is in the hands of the NOS. The staff will soon find out which stores are involved. They are expected to continue working until the end of the year and will be transferred to another branch if their own store closes earlier.
More uncertainty
This does not go down well with Blokker’s staff, says Linda Vermeulen of FNV. She has received responses from Blokker employees from all over the country. “They indicate that they would like to end this emotional period with their trusted colleagues in their own store,” she tells NH. “They are very loyal to their colleagues, store, regular customers and the neighborhood, but no longer to the Blokker group.”
Blokker employees are in great uncertainty about their jobs. “The curator has given notice of dismissal,” Vermeulen explains. “People are taking into account that it will end, but it is still unclear whether there will be a restart and whether staff will be able to join.”