Shoe store Sacha disappears from most shopping streets and focuses on online | Economy

Sacha will close almost all stores, Termeer Groep confirms after reports Heart of the Netherlands. That company owns Sacha and also owns the Sissy-Boy and Manfield chains.

The reason for the closures is that Sacha cannot maintain the traditional store model due to cost increases. Consumers are also increasingly buying their shoes online, especially since the corona pandemic, Sacha notes. The shoe store now generates 60 percent of its turnover from online sales.

Of Sacha’s 29 stores, some remain open to support the online store. It is not yet known which ones they are; the company is still discussing this. “The stores that are closing are now more or less loss-making,” says marketing director Cecile Termeer.

The good news is that all Sacha employees can remain employed. They will be relocated to sister companies Manfield and Sissy-Boy.

Sacha calls the decision “a new strategic direction”. According to Sacha’s parent company, the fact that the shoe store continues almost entirely online better suits the needs of the customer and the brand. The shops have been visible in city centers since the 1970s.

In 2020, Sacha’s Belgian branch, with seventeen stores, went bankrupt. Belgium now has three branches again.

In the past year, more well-known names have disappeared from the shopping streets, such as BCC, BigBazar, Perry Sport, Aktiesport and Sprinter. Stores such as Score and Scotch & Soda went bankrupt, but made a new start.

When shops disappear, catering establishments often take their place. Currently, only 45 percent of shopping streets actually consist of shops.