Out of 2,400 European stores, a total of around 500 is to be closed, the majority of them in Southern Europe and about 60 of the circa 430 stores in Germany.
Douglas has commissioned a transfer agency to support the circa 600 affected store employees in Germany (out of a total of more than 5,200) in their professional reorientation.
Additionally, the affected employees will be offered severance payments above the industry norm.
Douglas generated sales of 822 million euros in the 2019/20 financial year (up to the end of September), following a significant 40.6 percent increase in e-commerce.
Due to this, Douglas has generated sales of 3.2 billion euros – just 6.4 percent short of last year’s record figure of 3.5 billion euros – despite a COVID-induced slump in its brick-and-mortar business after months-long lockdowns.
Operating profit (Adjusted EBITDA) declined by 16.7 percent year-on-year to 292 million euros.
