HEMA
HEMA is a Dutch general-merchandise retailer founded in 1926, operating 500+ stores across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France. It sells private-label products in food, bakery, clothing, home goods, and beauty to mass-market consumers, both in-store and online.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1926
- HeadquartersAmsterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What HEMA does
HEMA B.V. is a Dutch general-merchandise retailer founded in 1926 and headquartered at NDSM-straat 10, Amsterdam. The company operates 500+ physical stores across the Netherlands with international presence in Belgium, Germany, France, and Austria, and runs a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform at hema.nl with home delivery and in-store pickup. Its product portfolio is organized around two pillars: food and drinks (daily fresh bakery, photo cakes, coffee, chocolates, alcohol-free beverages) and general merchandise (clothing for all ages, home goods, kitchenware, school and office supplies, party favors, beauty, and toys), the majority produced under HEMA's own private-label brands.
The business model is a vertically integrated mass-market retailer monetizing through one-time unit-priced transactions across physical and online channels. Private-label manufacturing across categories, an in-house loyalty program (HEMA Pas), and licensing partnerships (notably the Nijntje/Miffy character deal with Dick Bruna/Mercis) underpin the value proposition of affordable, accessible quality. Sub-brands include HEMA Beauty (sustainable, refillable makeup launched November 2025) and HEMA Photo Service (foto.hema.nl). Technology infrastructure centers on a Demandware/Salesforce Commerce Cloud e-commerce stack and a recently initiated RFID inventory management initiative with Nedap.
HEMA is privately held, with ownership having transferred to the Van Eerd family (through Van Eerd Retail, which also owns Jumbo) in February 2026, following regulatory approval from the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets. The company had previously been jointly owned by private equity firms Mississippi Ventures and Parcom. Headcount stands at 17,000+ employees, and the company holds Thuiswinkel Waarborg e-commerce certification. The customer base is broadly distributed mass-market consumers, with primary segments in the Netherlands and international retail customers in neighboring countries.
HEMA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HEMA
- Legal name
- HEMA B.V.
- Website
- https://hema.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1926
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- HEMA is a Dutch general-merchandise retailer founded in 1926, operating 500+ stores across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France. It sells private-label products in food, bakery, clothing, home goods, and beauty to mass-market consumers, both in-store and online.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where HEMA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amsterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
HEMA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Physical Retail Sales: Traditional brick-and-mortar retail through 500+ stores across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France, offering a wide range of own-brand products including clothing, home goods, food, and personal care items.
- E-commerce/Online Sales: Online sales through hema.nl website, offering home delivery and in-store pickup options.
- Fresh Bakery and Food Products: Daily fresh baked goods including cakes, pastries, and specialty items like tompouces, phototarts, and custom birthday cakes.
- Private Label Manufacturing: HEMA produces its own brand products across categories including clothing, home accessories, beauty products, and food items.
- Photography Services: Photo service including photobooks, photo prints, posters, and photo gifts through foto.hema.nl.
- Ticket and Deal Services: Tickets and deals services for attractions and experiences through tickets.hema.nl.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Affordable everyday retail pricing across all categories |
| Other | Monthly | HEMA Pas loyalty program with discounts and promotions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
HEMA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HEMA operates a chain of 500+ department stores across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France, selling own-brand products across categories including clothing, home goods, kitchenware, personal care, party supplies, and a daily fresh bakery. The company complements its physical retail network with the hema.nl e-commerce platform offering home delivery and in-store pickup. HEMA also offers specialized services such as photo printing through foto.hema.nl and tickets and deals through tickets.hema.nl.
Product overview
HEMA is a Dutch retail chain operating 500+ stores across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France. The company offers a broad portfolio of private-label products organized into two main pillars: food & drinks (including daily fresh pastries, photo cakes, coffee, chocolates, and alcohol-free beverages) and general merchandise (clothing for all ages, home goods, kitchenware, school supplies, party favors, beauty products, and toys). The e-commerce platform hema.nl serves as the digital storefront with over 500 stores enabling home delivery and in-store pickup. Notable sub-brands include HEMA Beauty (sustainable makeup launched November 2025) and the nijntje (Miffy) licensed merchandise line. The company also operates HEMA Photo Service for personalized photo products. The product strategy centers on accessible, affordable private-label goods with a focus on sustainability, particularly in packaging and refillable formats.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- HEMA.nl E-commerce Platform Online shopping platform enabling customers to browse and purchase HEMA products across food, clothing, home goods, and party supplies categories with home delivery and in-store pickup options.
- HEMA Photo Service Photo printing and customization service including photo books, prints, posters, photo gifts, canvas prints, and t-shirt printing, available through the foto.hema.nl online platform.
- HEMA Tickets & Deals Online platform for tickets to attractions, experiences, and special deals accessible through tickets.hema.nl.
- HEMA Pas (Loyalty Program) Customer loyalty program allowing members to earn points with purchases, receive personalized discounts, and access exclusive offers including a free tompouce on their birthday.
- HEMA Beauty Makeup Line Sustainable makeup collection featuring refillable lipsticks, bronzers, and eyeshadow palettes. Products are 100% vegan, free of microplastics and talc, with refillable packaging.
- Photo Cakes (Fototaart) Customizable cakes personalized with photos, logos, text, and stickers, available in cream, red velvet, and hazelnut flavors, serving 1-32 persons.
- Fresh Pastries and Cakes Daily fresh baked goods including cream cakes, apple pies, red velvet cake, strawberry cake, chocolate cake, cheesecake, vlaai, drip cakes, birthday cakes, and child cakes.
- Coffee Products Coffee products including coffee beans, coffee pads, coffee cups, and filter coffee sourced from Brazil, Colombia, and Honduras, available in various strengths from dark roast to mild caramel.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 40% revenue growth year-on-year in 2025
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use HEMA
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
HEMA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
HEMA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Certified Sustainability PartnersminorHEMA's renewed makeup line was developed in collaboration with certified partners, focusing on sustainability, ease of use, and affordability with refillable packaging produced using certified sustainable methods.
- NedapcoreHEMA enlisted Nedap for RFID technology implementation as part of their retail technology transformation journey. This partnership represents a significant investment in retail technology infrastructure for inventory management and customer experience improvements.
- Dick Bruna / MerciscoreHEMA holds licensing rights for Nijntje (Miffy) character brand, creating exclusive product lines including toys, clothing, bedding, and home accessories featuring the iconic Dutch children's character.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
HEMA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wibra: Dutch variety/discount retailer selling household items, textiles and small non-food products at low prices — directly comparable to HEMA's value-positioned household and home assortment.
- Blokker: Historic Dutch variety/household goods retailer selling kitchenware, home accessories and small appliances — directly overlapping with HEMA's home and kitchen assortment and target customer.
- Zeeman: Dutch discount textile and basic household retailer with stores across Europe — closely comparable to HEMA's affordable clothing and home-textile private-label offering.
- Action (Action Holding): Dutch-headquartered European non-food discount retailer with ~3,000 stores across Europe, competing head-to-head with HEMA on affordable everyday household, clothing and personal-care items.
- Kruidvat: Dutch drugstore chain owned by A.S. Watson, selling health, beauty and household products at value prices — directly competitive with HEMA Beauty, personal care and household categories.
Broad incumbents
- IKEA: Global home-furnishings and household-goods retailer with strong private-label development; comparable as a broad incumbent in HEMA's home and kitchen categories.
- Jumbo: Second-largest Dutch supermarket chain, now under common Van Eerd family ownership with HEMA; overlaps on food, household and personal care and is a strategic comparability benchmark given shared ownership.
- Albert Heijn: Market-leading Dutch supermarket chain (Ahold Delhaize) carrying a broad assortment of private-label food, household and personal-care goods — comparable business model and target shopper to HEMA's food and everyday-merchandise categories.
- Primark (ABF): European value apparel and accessories retailer with multi-category in-store offer; a broader incumbent benchmark for HEMA's clothing and general-merchandise private-label strategy.
Regional players
- Xenos: Dutch variety/gift and home-accessories retailer (part of Blokker Holding); a regional peer competing in household goods, party supplies and gift categories adjacent to HEMA.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
HEMA social profiles
Digital presenceHEMA compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
HEMA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HEMA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
HEMA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HEMA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about HEMA
What does HEMA do?
HEMA operates a chain of 500+ department stores across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France, selling own-brand products across categories including clothing, home goods, kitchenware, personal care, party supplies, and a daily fresh bakery. The company complements its physical retail network with the hema.nl e-commerce platform offering home delivery and in-store pickup. HEMA also offers specialized services such as photo printing through foto.hema.nl and tickets and deals through tickets.hema.nl.
Is HEMA a public or private company?
HEMA is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was HEMA founded?
HEMA was founded in 1926. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is HEMA based?
HEMA is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does HEMA make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Physical Retail Sales are the primary driver. The others are E-commerce/Online Sales, fresh Bakery and Food Products, private Label Manufacturing, photography Services and ticket and Deal Services.
Who are HEMA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wibra, Blokker, Zeeman, Action (Action Holding) and Kruidvat. Broad incumbents are IKEA, Jumbo, Albert Heijn and Primark (ABF). Xenos is listed as a regional player.
Does HEMA have an API?
No public API is recorded for HEMA.