Blokker

Blokker was founded on 25 April 1896 in Hoorn, in North Holland, by Jacob Blokker and his wife Saapke Kuiper, who opened an iron-and-woodware shop called 'De Goedkoope IJzer en Houtwinkel' ('The Cheap Iron and Wood Store'). The business expanded along the same street before, starting in the 1930s, Jacob and Saapke's four sons opened additional stores across the Randstad region, growing it into the national household-goods chain known today. At its peak the chain ran around 400 stores nationwide, but Blokker went bankrupt in November 2024. It has since undergone a partial revival under new ownership, operating under 40 stores as of mid-2025 with roughly a dozen new locations opened that year.