Boekhandel De Vries Van Stockum

What Boekhandel De Vries Van Stockum does

Boekhandel De Vries Van Stockum is a privately held, family-owned Dutch bookstore group with combined roots tracing back to 1833 (Van Stockum in Den Haag) and 1905 (De Vries in Haarlem). It operates three physical retail locations — the historic Haarlem flagship at Jacobijnestraat 7 spanning four connected 17th-century buildings, the main Den Haag store in the monumental Passage, and The English Bookstore (also in the Passage) — alongside a Dutch-domestic e-commerce site (www.devriesvanstockum.nl). The company sells books across all major categories including literature, children's books, cookery, travel, history, and English-language titles, plus gift items, merchandise, gift cards, and curated seasonal packages.

The business model is traditional retail book sales (one-time purchase pricing at the unit level, with €2.95 shipping and free shipping above €24.99 online) complemented by ancillary revenue streams: gift items, Le Petit Cafe (a French bistro attached to the Haarlem store), The English Bookstore sub-brand for the international community, and curated merchandising programs (Vakantiekit, Zomerlezen, Bestseller 60). The company is led by Jeltje de Vries, fourth-generation of the De Vries family. Marketing is multi-channel and low-cost: biweekly email newsletter, organic social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), in-store author events and book presentations, and staff-written reviews on the website. No external investors, funding rounds, or institutional ownership have been disclosed.

The company serves a distributed customer base of general consumers (locals, tourists visiting Haarlem and The Hague), a secondary business customer segment for corporate gifting and events, and an international expat/student/professional persona via The English Bookstore. The 26-person team and absence of disclosed revenue indicate a small-scale, privately held operation. There are no AI, API, or technology-platform capabilities described; the competitive position rests on heritage brand, prime historic retail locations, expert curation, and event-led community engagement rather than on technology differentiation.

Name

Boekhandel De Vries Van Stockum

Legal name

Boekhandel De Vries Van Stockum

Website

https://devriesvanstockum.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1905

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Boekhandel De Vries Van Stockum is a family-owned Dutch independent bookstore operating three historic locations in Haarlem and Den Haag plus a nationwide e-commerce site, serving general consumers, tourists, and English-speaking expatriates with curated books, gifts, and an attached cafe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Bookstore Retail

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (4592), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

SIC

Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940)

akta.pro primary industry

Humor, Gift & Specialty Format Books (Journals, Coloring, etc.) (MPAJAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Children’s Books & Educational Readers Retail (CRALAAAD)

Keywords

• Independent bookstore retail
• Online book sales
• English language bookselling
• Literary fiction books
• Children's book selection

Headquarters

HQ city

Haarlem

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Book retail sales: Traditional retail bookstore selling books through physical storefronts in Haarlem and Den Haag, and online through their e-commerce website. Offers books across multiple categories including fiction, non-fiction, children's books, cookbooks, travel books, and English language books.
2. Gift items and merchandise: Sale of gift items including tote bags, journals, stationery, and specialty items such as Harry Potter merchandise, limited editions, and local souvenirs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Boekhandel De Vries Van Stockum sells physical and English-language books through three retail locations in Haarlem and Den Haag plus a Dutch nationwide e-commerce store, complemented by gift cards, gift items, and a connected French bistro (Le Petit Cafe) in Haarlem. The catalog spans literature, children's books, cookery, travel, history, fantasy, science fiction, thrillers, and biography, including limited editions and specialty series such as Harry Potter, Dune, Bridgerton, and Lucinda Riley.

Product overview

Boekhandel De Vries Van Stockum operates as a traditional bookstore with physical locations in Haarlem (since 1905) and The Hague (since 1833), combined with an e-commerce platform. The core offering includes physical and online book sales across multiple genres (literature, children's books, cookery, travel, history, thrillers, philosophy, psychology), with a sub-brand focused on English-language books (The English Bookstore, since 2022) and complementary offerings like gift cards, vacation packages, and seasonal collections. The company also operates Le Petit Cafe in Haarlem. The business operates under a unified brand while offering specialized sections for different customer segments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The English Bookstore: An all-English bookshop opened in The Hague in 2022 to serve international students, expats, and business people.
• Le Petit Cafe

Products and services

• De Vries Van Stockum Main Bookstore (retail + e-commerce) Core retail bookstore operation selling Dutch and English-language books across all major genres (literature, children's books, cookery, travel, history, fantasy, science fiction, thrillers, biography) through the Haarlem flagship and the Den Haag store, plus a domestic Netherlands e-commerce store delivering books nationwide. Customers include local residents, tourists visiting Haarlem and Den Haag, and online shoppers across the country.
• The English Bookstore Specialty sub-brand retail bookstore operating in The Hague that stocks English-language books, special editions, and limited editions for international students, expats, and business professionals in the Netherlands who need access to titles in English.
• Cadeaukaart (Gift Cards) Branded gift cards redeemable in De Vries Van Stockum physical stores and through the online store, sold to individuals and to corporate customers seeking gift options for events and business relationships.
• Le Petit Cafe French bistro linked to the De Vries Van Stockum bookstore in Haarlem, offering customers the combination of books and French pastries as a complementary hospitality offering to the bookstore's retail trade.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Paagman Boekhandel: Independent Dutch bookstore with multiple locations in The Hague area, including in the Passage. A direct local competitor to De Vries Van Stockum's Den Haag store, with overlapping customer base and similar heritage positioning.
• Athenaeum Boekhandel: Long-established independent bookstore in Amsterdam known for curated stock, magazine selection, and cultural programming. Directly comparable to De Vries Van Stockum as a heritage Dutch independent focused on curation and events rather than discount volume.
• American Book Center (ABC): Amsterdam-based English-language bookstore chain serving expats, students, and tourists. Closely comparable to The English Bookstore concept within De Vries Van Stockum — same English-language niche, same expat/tourist customer base, same curated-retail model.
• Scheltema Boekhandel: Historic independent Dutch bookstore operating a flagship multi-floor location in Amsterdam. Comparable as a long-running, large-format independent Dutch book retailer combining in-store browsing, curated selection, and events — same broad model as De Vries Van Stockum.
• Van Piere Boekhandel: Independent Dutch bookstore in Eindhoven with a multi-floor, curated assortment and event programming. Similar size, model, and customer profile to De Vries Van Stockum — heritage independent competing with chains and e-commerce on curation.
• Broese Boekhandel: Independent Dutch bookstore in Utrecht with a long operating history, offering curated fiction/non-fiction plus events. Comparable to De Vries Van Stockum as a heritage Dutch independent combining bookstore, gift items, and cultural programming.

Broad incumbents

• Bruna: Former Dutch high-street bookstore and newsagent chain now operating primarily online and via residual retail locations. Comparable as a Dutch book retailer competing for the same mainstream consumer, though broader in category scope (cards, stationery, gifts) and less specialized than De Vries Van Stockum.
• bol.com: Largest Dutch e-commerce platform and dominant online book retailer in the Netherlands. Not a direct experiential competitor, but the primary head-to-head for online book sales — particularly relevant given De Vries Van Stockum's e-commerce delivery model.
• Libris: Marketing and buying cooperative of independent Dutch booksellers, providing a shared brand and supply chain. Adjacent / ecosystem comparable to De Vries Van Stockum — an independent that could either join or compete against this collective channel.

Regional players

• Donner Boeken: Formerly one of the largest independent Dutch bookstore chains (Rotterdam-based), now restructured. Historically a peer of similar size and ambition to De Vries Van Stockum, illustrating the structural risks facing mid-sized Dutch independents.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@devriesvanstockum9649/about
• Facebookfacebook.com/devriesvanstockum
• Instagraminstagram.com/devriesvanstockum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/de-vries-van-stockum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Boekhandel De Vries Van Stockum