Only for employees
Reorganization at de Bijenkorf
Is your work changing through a reorganization or the shift to online, or is there a departure proposal on the table?
This page explains your position under Dutch employment law, which applies to everyone working in the Netherlands, including highly skilled migrants and international staff. De Bijenkorf is the Netherlands' luxury department store, with seven locations and a head office, and is part of the international Selfridges Group. In early 2026 the company announced a reorganization in which jobs are being cut, mainly in the stores and at the head office, while new roles are also being created. The trigger is not that the store is in trouble, but that retail is shifting to online and omnichannel and that costs are being watched more closely. For you it is therefore often not about a classic closure, but about whether your role returns in a new set-up or changes shape. At de Bijenkorf one further question arises: not everyone on the shop floor works for de Bijenkorf itself.
Does this apply to you?
- Your role in the store or at the head office is eliminated or changes
- Your work shifts through the move to online and omnichannel
- Your hours are reduced or your roster is adjusted
- You are redundant, or you are taking it into account
- You have received a departure arrangement or settlement agreement
Why employees come to ReorgLegal
ReorgLegal specializes in reorganizations and works exclusively for employees, never for employers. We assess your proposal and stand beside you.
Do not wait too long. Reorganizations often come with short response deadlines. Have a proposal assessed before you agree to it.
The situation at de Bijenkorf
At de Bijenkorf this is not a department store in trouble, but a luxury chain adjusting its organisation to a changing market.
A department store in transition
Customers increasingly buy online, and a department store has to adapt its stores and its services accordingly. De Bijenkorf is betting on a combination of physical stores and online, where the store is more about advice and experience and less about selling alone. As a result the work changes shape: some roles disappear, others are added. That is different from a store closure, which is not announced at present.
What that means for you
For you it is therefore often not about your store disappearing, but about whether your role returns in the new set-up, whether it changes, and what rights you have if it does not. Because part of the reorganization is at the head office and part in the stores, the impact can differ greatly from role to role.
A reorganization in retail often proceeds in phases. This page reflects the situation in July 2026.
In brief
- De Bijenkorf is the luxury department store with seven locations and a head office
- The company is part of the international Selfridges Group
- You work under the company's own collective agreement, not a government one
- In early 2026 a reorganization was announced in stores and head office
- The shift to online and omnichannel is changing the work
- Not everyone on the shop floor is employed by de Bijenkorf
Who do you actually work for?
In a department store, people stand side by side on the shop floor who do not all have the same employer. In a reorganization that determines with whom you should be for your rights.
De Bijenkorf itself or a brand
Some of the people in the store are employed by de Bijenkorf, under its collective agreement. Others work for a brand or an external party that runs its own department or counter in the store, for instance in cosmetics or fashion. If you work for such a brand, your rights lie with that employer and not with de Bijenkorf, even though you work on the same floor.
Know which employer is on your contract
In a reorganization the first question is therefore who your formal employer is. If de Bijenkorf reorganizes, that affects its own staff; if something changes at a brand, that plays out at that company. So check your employment contract to see which name it states, because that determines which collective agreement, which social plan and which rules apply to you.
Unsure who your employer is and what that means? Have it clarified.
Watch these points about your role
- Which employer your employment contract names
- Whether you fall under the de Bijenkorf agreement or another arrangement
- Whether your role is eliminated or only changes shape
- Whether an offered role is genuinely suitable
- What happens to your hours and roster
How a reorganization at de Bijenkorf unfolds
If you work for de Bijenkorf itself, a dismissal on economic grounds follows the statutory steps. At each step you can have someone look on.
Justification and advice
De Bijenkorf must make it plausible that your role is disappearing and put a reorganization to the works council for advice. If a reorganization affects many roles in a short period, the rules on collective redundancy may come into play; they only require notification to the UWV and consultation with the unions once the statutory conditions and threshold are met.
Selection and the reflection principle
Who becomes redundant is not for the employer to decide freely. Where roles are interchangeable, the reflection principle essentially determines the order, subject to the statutory exceptions. Which group counts as the unit follows from the structure of the organization and the Dismissal Regulation, and can differ per location and per department.
Reassignment across stores and group
Before dismissal is at issue, it must be examined whether there is a suitable role for you, if necessary after training and within a reasonable period. What matters is whether those other positions belong to the company or group for which your employer has a reassignment obligation under Article 7:669 of the Dutch Civil Code and the Dismissal Regulation. At a chain with several stores and an international group, that scope can be wider than your own location alone.
At each step there is something to do
- Ask whether your role is eliminated or returns in the new set-up
- Keep your employment contract, rosters, payslips and the proposal
- Have someone check which group the reflection was applied to
- Ask which roles at other locations are open to you
- Do not take a final decision before your position is assessed
What does this mean for you?
A reorganization at de Bijenkorf follows the statutory rules for economic dismissal, supplemented by the de Bijenkorf collective agreement and any social plan. On each of those points there is more for you to arrange than an announcement suggests.
Your work changes shape
Through the shift to online and omnichannel your role changes more often than it disappears: from selling to advising, or to work for the web shop. A change of role is not an automatic dismissal, but it can affect your tasks, hours and roster.
A selection that can be checked
Within interchangeable roles, the reflection principle essentially determines who becomes redundant, subject to the statutory exceptions. Which unit counts depends on how de Bijenkorf is structured and on the Dismissal Regulation.
Your compensation
If your employment ends on de Bijenkorf's initiative and reassignment is not possible, there is in principle a right to the statutory transition payment, unless a statutory exception applies. If a social plan offers an additional provision, that is generally on top of it.
The settlement agreement
If you settle a departure by agreement, it is set down in a settlement agreement, stating among other things your end date and the compensation. The exact wording partly determines whether your unemployment benefit stays intact, so have the text checked before you sign.
What you can do now
If the reorganization at de Bijenkorf affects your work, first map out your position before you agree to another role, fewer hours or a departure. Those who know where they stand in time can choose better.
- Check your employment contract for who your employer is and which agreement applies
- Keep your employment contract, roster data and recent payslips
- Have the reflection recalculated if you may become redundant
- Ask whether a social plan applies to the reorganization and what it offers you
- Check which roles are open at other locations or within the group
- With a reduction of hours, watch how it is done and what you sign
- Have a settlement agreement reviewed before you sign
Is there a proposal for another role, fewer hours or a settlement agreement? Have us assess it before you sign.
When should you involve us?
- Your role in the store or at the head office is eliminated or changes
- You are offered fewer hours or an adjusted roster
- You are reassigned or offered another role
- You doubt whether an offered role is suitable
- Your response deadline is running and you want to know where you stand
Frequently asked questions
These are questions de Bijenkorf employees put to us in practice.
Do you have a proposal for another role, fewer hours or a settlement agreement? Have us review it.
I work on the shop floor for a brand. Does de Bijenkorf's reorganization affect me?
That depends on who your employer is. If you are employed by a brand or an external party with its own department in the store, a reorganization of de Bijenkorf does not affect you directly; your rights lie with your own employer. Check your contract for the name it states and have it assessed.
My store stays open, but my role changes. What does that mean?
Through the shift to online and omnichannel the work often moves from selling to advising or to work for the web shop. A change of role is not an automatic dismissal, but it can affect your tasks, hours and pay. Have it assessed exactly what changes and whether that is reasonable.
De Bijenkorf wants to reduce my hours. Is that allowed just like that?
A reduction of hours is not automatically a partial dismissal; whether it is depends on the way the working time is reduced, with your consent, through a unilateral-change clause or through a UWV procedure. Do not simply sign, and have a proposal to work fewer hours checked first.
Will I receive compensation and does a social plan apply?
If your employment ends on de Bijenkorf's initiative, there is in principle a right to the statutory transition payment, unless a statutory exception applies. If a social plan applies to the reorganization, it may contain an additional provision; whether it does depends on the agreements for this reorganization. Have your own situation assessed.
Received a settlement agreement? Get a free review.
Upload your agreement and we will assess your situation, free and without obligation. On business days we respond within 1 hour. Your legal fees are usually covered by your employer.
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