HEMA is due to mark its 100th anniversary on 4 November. Leo Meyer and Arthur Isaac opened its first store on Amsterdam’s Kalverstraat on 4 November 1926, selling household goods at fixed low prices. The original Kalverstraat and Oude Hoogstraat branches have closed, while the Nieuwendijk store, opened in 1936, remains the chain’s oldest location in Amsterdam.

The renovated Nieuwendijk branch now includes a tompouce lounge and a larger range of Miffy, Takkie and Siepie merchandise as it seeks to appeal to tourists. The branch was also reported to have been the first to sell HEMA’s smoked-sausage sandwich, which remains on sale.