Emmaus Domstad

What Emmaus Domstad does

Emmaus Domstad is a Utrecht-based non-profit foundation (Stichting Emmaus Domstad) that operates an integrated thrift-retail and housing-for-the-homeless social enterprise. Founded in 1978 as part of the international Emmaus movement established by Abbé Pierre in 1949, the organization runs two second-hand stores (kringloopwinkels) — Parkwijk, the largest at over 500 m² in the Leidsche Rijn district, and Overvecht — selling donated clothing, furniture, household items, electronics, books, and vintage goods at 'reasonable' unit prices. Parkwijk handles small-goods and electronics sorting for the entire operation, while Overvecht runs the clothing sorting center. A third Lombok location was closed on 1 November 2024 as part of a strategic reorientation to refocus on resident welfare. The retail footprint is supplemented by a free pickup service for donated goods and a formal collaboration with the municipality of Utrecht at the waste separation station 'De Stits' (Mostperenlaan 2), where staff and sea containers intercept reusable goods from municipal waste flows.

The organization's social arm is a 17-room residential community (woonhuis) housing approximately 15 homeless or at-risk individuals (dak- en thuislozen), four of which are rental rooms. Residents work four days per week in the stores in exchange for housing, meals, pocket money, health insurance, and reintegration support including debt counseling and Dutch language lessons. Emmaus Domstad is the largest Emmaus housing-and-work community (woonwerkgemeenschap) in the Netherlands and operates 100% independently without government subsidies, self-financing entirely through thrift store revenues and tax-deductible donations enabled by its ANBI (public benefit institution) status. Additional service lines include a volunteer program (minimum 2 half-days/week), MBO vocational internships via SBB Erkend Leerbedrijf status, and HKZ-certified reintegration/daybesteding programs carrying the BKN keurmerk.

The business model is community-led with no proprietary technology platform. Customer acquisition relies on local visibility, word-of-mouth, circular-economy positioning, and organic content via the website blog, newsletter, and Facebook/Instagram/TikTok channels — no paid advertising is used. The technology stack is limited to standard web utilities (Google Analytics, social sharing buttons, Google Maps), with no e-commerce, no app, and no AI/ML components. Pricing is per-item at checkout with no published tiers; customers are anonymous individual shoppers seeking affordable second-hand goods. Supply comes from public donations, supplemented by the De Stits municipal partnership. Proceeds beyond the residential community support the international Emmaus movement and charitable projects including the Santoesha project in Suriname.

Name

Emmaus Domstad

Legal name

Stichting Emmaus Domstad

Website

https://emmausdomstad.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Emmaus Domstad is a Utrecht-based non-profit foundation operating two thrift stores (Parkwijk and Overvecht) and a 17-room residential community for approximately 15 homeless individuals. Founded in 1978, it self-funds entirely through retail revenues without government subsidies as part of the international Emmaus movement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Enterprise Thrift Retail

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (459510)

SIC

Retail-Furniture Stores (5712)

akta.pro primary industry

Donation, Resale & Disposal Coordination (HSAFAAAK)

Keywords

• Second-hand retail
• Social enterprise
• Thrift store operations
• Homeless shelter services
• Circular economy initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail sales of second-hand goods: Emmaus Domstad operates two thrift stores (kringloopwinkels) in Utrecht — Parkwijk and Overvecht — selling donated second-hand and vintage clothing, furniture, household items, books, electronics, and curios. Revenue from these sales finances the organization's residential community for homeless individuals and supports international Emmaus movement charitable causes. Residents work in the stores in exchange for housing, meals, and pocket money.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Emmaus Domstad operates two thrift stores (kringloopwinkels) in the Parkwijk and Overvecht districts of Utrecht, selling donated second-hand and vintage clothing, furniture, household items, books, and electronics. The organization runs an integrated residential community that houses approximately 15 homeless individuals who work in the thrift stores in exchange for room, board, meals, pocket money, and health insurance. All operations are funded entirely by retail revenues without government subsidies.

Product overview

Emmaus Domstad operates as a non-profit thrift store chain and residential community in Utrecht, Netherlands. The organization consists of two retail locations (Kringloopwinkel Parkwijk and Kringloopwinkel Overvecht) that sell secondhand clothing, furniture, vintage items, electronics, and housewares. Parkwijk serves as the largest store at 500m² and handles small goods sorting, while Overvecht manages the clothing sorting center. Core services include goods donation drop-off and pickup, residential shelter for homeless individuals (woonhuis opvang), volunteer opportunities, internship placements, and reintegration programs. All operations are funded entirely by retail proceeds without government subsidies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kringloopwinkel Parkwijk Emmaus Domstad's largest thrift store spanning over 500 m² in the Leidsche Rijn / Parkwijk district of Utrecht. Sells donated second-hand and vintage furniture, clothing, electronics, and housewares. Functions as the small-goods and electronics sorting and pricing center for all Emmaus Domstad locations and offers the only Thursday evening shopping (koopavond) among Utrecht thrift stores.
• Kringloopwinkel Overvecht Emmaus Domstad's thrift store located adjacent to the Overvecht shopping center in Utrecht. Sells donated second-hand and vintage furniture, kitchenware, books, and clothing. Houses the clothing sorting center where all donated clothing received by Emmaus Domstad is processed before being distributed across the organization's stores.
• Goederenophaling (Donation Pickup Service) Free pickup service collecting usable donated goods including clothing, shoes, furniture, and electronics from residents' homes within Utrecht. Pickup requests are scheduled via email ([email protected]) or phone, Monday–Friday 09:00–12:00; items must be placed at ground level for collection.
• Woonhuis Opvang (Residential Community) Residential community housing for homeless and at-risk individuals in Utrecht. Provides 17 rooms (including 4 for rent), meals, pocket money, health insurance, and Dutch language lessons. Residents work four days per week in the thrift stores and contribute to the household in exchange for room and board; functions as a reintegration program without government funding.
• Goedereninname (Donation Drop-off) In-store acceptance of donated goods at both Parkwijk and Overvecht locations during specified goods-intake hours. Donations must be clean, undamaged, functional, and complete and are inspected on-site before acceptance.
• Re-integratie & Dagbesteding (Reintegration and Day Activities) Work reintegration program and structured day-activity placements for individuals seeking meaningful daily activities, reintegration support, or community-service completion. HKZ certified and carries the BKN keurmerk; placements coordinated through intake conversations with the participant and their support worker.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports approximately 15 homeless individuals with housing, meals, health insurance, and reintegration services entirely funded by thrift store revenues, with no government subsidies.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Federatie Emmaus Nederland (FEN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmmaus Domstad is a self-standing ANBI foundation that is a member of Federatie Emmaus Nederland (FEN), the Dutch federation of Emmaus communities. FEN provides organizational affiliation, shared mission alignment, and connections to the broader international Emmaus movement founded by Abbé Pierre in 1949.
• 't Groene StichtminorOthersThe Parkwijk store is located on the premises of 't Groene Sticht in the Leidsche Rijn district, a green/wellness building that hosts Emmaus Domstad as a tenant/anchor tenant.
• TussenvoorzieningminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmmaus Domstad collaborates with Tussenvoorziening Utrecht by helping newly housed individuals obtain essential furniture when they find accommodation, providing a pathway from homelessness to independent living.
• Gemeente Utrecht (Municipality of Utrecht)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmmaus Domstad has a formal collaboration with the municipality of Utrecht at the waste separation station 'De Stits' / Mostperenlaan 2, where Emmaus maintains sea containers and staff to receive donated usable goods directly from the city's waste facility.
• Movira (formerly Oranjehuis)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmmaus Domstad Parkwijk supports the Movira organization (formerly Oranjehuis) by providing clothing to residents of their facility.
• Santoesha Project (Suriname)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmmaus Domstad supports the Santoesha project in Suriname by providing deep discounts on goods purchased for use in Surinamese homeless shelters, contributing to the international Emmaus movement's charitable mission.
• Academie Tien (Vleuten secondary school)minorOthersStudents from Academie Tien in Vleuten conduct internship projects (bliksemstage / flash internship) at Emmaus Domstad, helping to sort and price donated goods.
• VOLT! Toekomstmakers (Vleuten)minorOthersStudents from the VOLT! Toekomstmakers program in Vleuten conducted a flash internship (bliksemstage) at Emmaus Domstad, sorting and pricing donated items.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Leger des Heils (Salvation Army Netherlands): Dutch arm of the Salvation Army operates second-hand stores (kringloopwinkels) alongside social services for vulnerable populations, closely mirroring Emmaus Domstad's integrated retail-plus-shelter approach.
• De Kringwinkel: Belgian/Dutch network of social thrift stores focused on reuse and employment reintegration, operating a similar social-enterprise thrift model in adjacent markets.
• Emmaus France: Largest national federation within the international Emmaus movement, operating thrift stores and housing communities across France under the same Abbé Pierre-founded mission as Emmaus Domstad.
• Het Goed: Dutch thrift-store chain that operates second-hand retail stores across the Netherlands with a social employment mission, directly comparable to Emmaus Domstad's thrift-retail-plus-social-impact model.
• Emmaus Belgium: Belgian federation of Emmaus communities running thrift stores and housing-work programs, a sister organization to Emmaus Domstad within the same international movement.
• Noppes Kringloop: Dutch chain of thrift stores with multiple locations, comparable in retail format and second-hand assortment, though lacking Emmaus Domstad's residential community component.

Broad incumbents

• Goodwill Industries International: Global nonprofit operating thrift retail stores to fund job training and community programs; comparable in mission and revenue model but operates at vastly larger scale and geographic breadth.
• Habitat for Humanity ReStores: Nonprofit home-goods retail outlets operated by Habitat for Humanity across multiple countries, comparable in second-hand retail format but focused on furniture/housewares and housing-related causes.
• Salvation Army UK: UK arm of the Salvation Army operates charity shops and social services, directly comparable in combining thrift retail with social welfare programs but at much greater national scale.

Others

• ReShare (Kringloop Nederland): Dutch textile-collection and sorting social enterprise affiliated with Kringloop Nederland; comparable in the second-hand ecosystem and Emmaus Domstad is part of the BKN keurmerk network alongside ReShare.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/emmausdomstad
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@emmausdomstad
• Facebookfacebook.com/emmausdomstad
• Instagraminstagram.com/emmausdomstad
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emmaus-domstad

Compliance3 records

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 Emmaus Domstad