De Bijenkorf delighted key employees with an extra bonus of 767,000 euros

This is evident from the chain’s latest annual report.

big loss

According to him, the turnover of De Bijenkorf increased by 10% last year to 448 million euros. But at the end of the line, there is a net loss of more than 45 million euros. The retail chain also booked a mega loss of 43 million last year.

De Bijenkorf has suffered greatly from the corona pandemic in recent years, with the result that all seven branches have to close for a long time. The company says it expects better numbers this year than before the pandemic.

Staff turnover

De Bijenkorf seems concerned about the current situation on the labor market. “The company is experiencing increased employee turnover, largely driven by falling unemployment rates and increasing competitive pressure,” CEO Giovanni Colauto said in the report. Said.

“That is why a retention bonus scheme was created in September to keep 39 employees in so-called risk positions. This bonus will be paid in September 2023 if employees are currently employed.”

Premium 767,000 euros

The report shows that De Bijenkorf has so far set aside 767,000 euros for the bonus plan. That is slightly less than an average of 20,000 euros per employee. The retailer has not yet responded to a request for comment.

The fact that De Bijenkorf was sold by the Canadian family entrepreneur Weston at the end of last year, together with its parent company, the British department store Selfridges, may have played a role in the introduction of retention bonuses.

The new owners are Thai retail group Central Group and Austrian real estate company Signa. Such acquisitions can sometimes lead to internal turmoil that pushes employers to do their best to retain key employees.