Hema, Dutch rival of Miniso, opens its first physical stores in Mexico
After arriving in Mexico last August with its online store , the Dutch chain Hema finally opens physical stores in our country. This Tuesday, December 8, its first location began operations in Terminal 1 of the Mexico City Airport. The second will open its doors next Friday, December 11 in the luxurious Plaza Artz Pedregal and for the opening they will be giving away 35 gift cards with various dynamics on their social networks.
The company, famous for its sustainable and affordable designer products, planned to open its first Mexican branch in the summer. However, the coronavirus pandemic forced them to postpone it and they could only start with the online store .
The company, associated in Mexico with Grupo Ensueño and Modatelas (also Mumuso investors), plans to open 200 branches by 2025 , as well as serve 30,000 clients per month and have about 3,000 employees for that year.
“We see potential because we believe there is an opportunity for us in the Mexican market. We see a young market, with good offers for children and babies; it is a good market for growth, it is something that we see in the long term, " said Tjeerd Jegen, Hema's CEO, last February.
Hema distinguishes itself by offering durable products made from sustainable raw materials such as organic cotton and recycled plastic. Their unique designs, created by a team of just 45 people, also stand out.
The Dutch firm defines itself as a small department store , with categories such as children, babies, home decor, beauty, bathroom supplies, kitchen and even food (they sell the famous Dutch waffles!).
“We are more of a mini department store where we offer many ranges of products and foods, and others do not. If you expand quickly, compromise the quality of your business and end up making decisions that you do not want to make, it is our knowledge and we trust in the safe path our partners are taking ” , Jegen commented in statements collected by El Financiero .
In addition to sustainable designs, it competes against Miniso in another important aspect: low prices . In Mexico, the cost of the products starts at 19 pesos.
For now, the products offered by Hema are mainly from the Netherlands, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Romania, Turkey and China. In the future they plan to make use of local manufacturing, once the products in greatest demand are identified.
"As soon as we know which are the most successful products in Mexico, we will begin to look for local producers to make them with our designs, and for them to become the global supply chain," said the company's CEO.
Hema began its expansion outside of Europe in 2018, with its first branch in Dubai. In October 2019, it arrived in the United States and Canada through e-commerce and through Walmart. Mexico will be the twelfth country where the Dutch chain will have a presence.
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