After a difficult six months, the iconic bright yellow Dutch supermarket, Jumbo, might be getting close to closing its doors.
Jumbo, the Netherlands’ second most popular supermarket chain, has been struggling to make ends meet this past year, reports the NOS.
Despite the current hefty price tags on groceries (and the big revenue that comes from this), Jumbo says that the supermarket still isn’t making enough profit. 🤨
Due to the rising costs, the supermarket needs to pay up equally soaring rents, energy costs, and wages.
How will Jumbo save itself?
Being so close to the edge has made Jumbo realise the obvious: to not go bankrupt, they need to bring in customers. How? By offering affordable groceries — otherwise people will flock right into Dirk.
Jumbo’s top boss, Ton van Veen, has told the FD that the supermarket wants to “go back to basics” and start offering a wider range of more affordable groceries.
READ MORE | How much is an expat’s grocery bill in the Netherlands in 2023? Internationals weigh in
They will also be cutting back on big expenses, including the big bills that come with sponsoring Dutch athletes such as Max Verstappen and the cycling and skating teams Jumbo-Visma. 📉
Very proud of Max Verstappen winning the Austrian Grand Prix!!
— Racing Team Nederland (@RacingTeamNL) July 1, 2018
And his special 'Jumbo helmet' will be handed to Frits by Max to thank him for being a loyal sponsor since the F3 days. pic.twitter.com/PQemQrY0ja
Meaning? The next time you’re watching Formula 1, you won’t see the brightly branded Jumbo logo anymore. On the plus side, you might be eating ice cream that didn’t cost you the price of an iced latte — we’ll take it!🍨
Money laundering at Jumbo’s top ranks
It’s been a rough year for Jumbo, even if we disregard the soaring prices of, well… everything.
At the end of last year, the founder of Jumbo, Karel van Eerd, passed away at the age of 84.
READ MORE | What your favourite Dutch supermarket says about you
Almost one year ago, an investigation was launched, suspecting Karel van Eerd’s son, Frits van Eerd, of money laundering.
After a full raid of his office, Frits van Eerd resigned from his role, but the verdict of the investigation is still up in the air. 😬
What’s your preferred Dutch supermarket? Tell us in the comments below!
No favourite. Dutch supermarkets are poor quality.
I will stick with nettorama for now