Twenty HEMA shops will act as mini-distribution centres for online orders. This is the only way the retailer can meet growing online demand and eliminate delivery delays.
The number of orders through HEMA's webshop has tripled in recent weeks compared to a year earlier. This had caused delays in delivery, which in some cases amounted to four days.
To process all those orders, the retailer is commissioning an additional e-commerce distribution centre. In addition, twenty Dutch shops will be set up as order picking locations, reports Emerce. The stores will remain open for customers, but employees will also prepare online orders there. DHL picks up the orders and delivers them to customers' homes.
Retail sales pick up again after corona dip
After a sharp dip in sales figures, HEMA now seems to be doing better. In an earlier letter to pledgees, top executive Tjeerd Jegen still feared for the company's survival. For April and May, HEMA therefore paid only part of the shop rent.
For several weeks now, sales have been on the rise again, the retailer now says in a statement. More customers are coming to HEMA shops and the amount they spend is higher than before. In addition, online sales have therefore risen sharply. Especially abroad, where HEMA stores have been closed in recent weeks, consumers know how to find the webshop. In Belgium, six times as many orders are placed.
HEMA expects to reopen shops abroad, including Germany and Austria, in the coming weeks.
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