Restructuring events
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
The Dutch retailer of household goods Blokker has announced a decrease of 390 jobs, although the location(s) of the cuts and the timeframe have not been specified. The internal reorganisation is meant to cut costs and to create a more flexible and competitive organisation. This reduction follows a job reduction of equal size in 2015, after the parent group suffered losses in 2014. The unions were unpleasantly surprised by the announcement. They had not been notified in advance despite a recent meeting with Blokker and another round of job reductions had not been expected so soon. There are concerns about potential increases in work pressure, as well as increased unrest across the stores that are part of the Blokker Holding group. Blokker Holding owns a range of household goods, furniture and toy stores. One of them, Xenos, also experienced job losses earlier in 2016.
Eurofound (2016), Blokker, Internal restructuring in Netherlands, factsheet number 87379, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/87379.