The first HEMA opened in
Amsterdam on November 4, 1926, by Arthur Isaac and Leo Meijer, owners of the luxury department store
De Bijenkorf. The relative economic boom in the
Netherlands in the
period 1900–1930 benefited HEMA. Originally, it functioned as a
price-point retailer at prime locations in town centres, goods were sold using standard prices (hence its name), with everything having a standard price of 10, 25 or 50 cents, and later also 75 and 100 cents. Because the chain was associated with poor people due to its low prices, rich Dutch people didn't want to be seen there. These people corrupted the acronym to
Hier Eet Men Afval (here people/men eat waste/trash).
World War II During
World War II, a number of
Jewish employees (there was a relatively high number because of the Jewish roots of the company) were murdered by the
Nazis during the
Holocaust. The store was also associated with Jews being a, "Jewish business". Windows were smashed, antisemitic slogans were written on shops, etc. The chain even lost its Rotterdam branch during the bombings and reopened in Blijdorp. Mr S. Van der Sluis was the first Jewish employee to be captured by the SS and by 1942 all Jewish staff members were dismissed.
After World War II After World War II, the standard pricing model could not be sustained and was abandoned. A period of rapid expansion followed. Locations carry a wide variety of goods, including clothing, food, bicycle equipment, gardening tools, and office supplies. In 2015, Hema was the most indispensable brand in the Netherlands for the 8th time running. After HEMA's proprietors expressed their intention to potentially sell the business in 2020,
Flacks Group and a
consortium led by
Parcom Capital showed interest in acquiring the chain. Led by new
CEO Egas Reparaz, the company announced in July 2021 its exit from the UK market with the sale of its six stores there, shifting its focus to the Netherlands,
Belgium,
Luxembourg, and
France. Later, it also decided to withdraw from
Spain, closing all its stores during 2022. In February 2026, the Van Eerd family acquired 100% ownership of the chain after purchasing the stake it did not previously hold in the Dutch firm. ==Branches==