Maker record
HEMA
HEMA is a Dutch retailer whose own-brand range includes toys alongside household and everyday goods. Its children’s assortment includes soft toys, blocks, puzzles, dollhouses, craft materials and indoor and outdoor play items. HEMA began in Amsterdam in 1926 as a fixed-price department store for everyday shoppers. It developed into a retailer of products designed to its specifications and supplied by manufacturers, rather than a toy maker known for a single specialist material or model type.
- Founded
- 1926
- Countries
- Arab Emirates
- Locations
- Netherlands
- Founders
- Leo Meyer · Arthur Isaac
The story of HEMA
HEMA opened its first shop on Amsterdam’s Kalverstraat on 4 November 1926, followed a few days later by a second shop in the Oude Hoogstraat. The name stood for Hollandsche Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij Amsterdam. Leo Meyer and Arthur Isaac, directors of De Bijenkorf, founded the business after the American Woolworth stores; HEMA’s first format sold a single version of each kind of article at set prices.
The chain spread to other Dutch cities in its early years. The Second World War brought severe disruption: stores were destroyed in bombings, HEMA lost Jewish employees and managers to persecution, and wartime supply problems ended the fixed-price system. In 1952 HEMA moved to self-service shops and adopted franchising to expand more quickly. From the 1950s it emphasized well-designed products at low prices. HEMA developed its own products and specifications, while outside manufacturers made most of its range.
HEMA began opening stores outside the Netherlands in Belgium in 1984. Its later expansion included Germany in 2002, Luxembourg in 2006, France in 2009 and Austria in 2018. The retailer’s current assortment includes toys such as blocks, soft toys, puzzles, dollhouses and outdoor play products.
