Hunkemöller is a clothing manufacturer from the Netherlands, specialising in underclothes and lingerie. The company was founded in 1886 in Amsterdam as a special shop for corsets. Nowadays it is an omni-channel brand with more than 7,400 employees in 21 countries. Hunkemöller is one of the field leaders in ladies underwear, especially in the Low Countries.
History
Wilhelm Hunkemöller and his wife Josephina Lexis founded the company in 1886 as a special shop for corsets and bustles in Amsterdam. In the beginning they used to produce in their own factory. In the following years the family owned business expanded and they could open stores in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht. In 1974 the company was acquired by Vendex subsidiary Confendex B.V., a subsidiary company of Vroom & Dreesman B.V. Thereby the company name was changed from “Hunkemöller Lexis” just to “Hunkemöller”. In 1977 the company expanded to Belgium and ten years later to Germany. Nowadays Hunkemöller has many stores in Europe and in the Middle East. In June 2019, Hunkemöller opened the first store in Shanghai, China. Since August the 31 2016, the Dutch model Doutzen Kroes represents Hunkemöller as the new face of the brand. Previously, the model and moderator Sylvie Meis was the face of the company.
Company structure
Hunkemöller runs an omni-channel operation, which contains own-operated stores, shop-in-shops, e-commerce and international franchise units. Hunkemöller began its franchise program in 1979. These days the lingerie company contains more than 940 stores, with more than 7,400 employees. 2015 Hunkemöller recorded a turnover of 440 Million Euros. The company was acquired by The Carlyle Groupin the beginning of 2016. Since the end of 2010 the company belonged to PAI Partners, a European private equity group. Before it was part of Maxeda, a retail business from the Netherlands. Hunkemöller’s headquarter is in Hilversum.
In 2014 Hunkemöller secured the Retail Award again for the best lingerie chain in the Netherlands. In Belgium, Germany and Austria it got awarded with the same award a year before. Moreover, in Germany the company secured the prestigious “Retailer of the Year Award” in 2015.
2017: Best European Retailer of the year
2016: RETA in the category Best Enterprise Solution
2015: VROUW Award Telegraaf for the best lingerie collection with focus on the Sylvie Collection London
2015: Women’s Health Germany Award for "best lingerie brand"
2014: Mercuriusprijs for best store concept in Belgium with the Meir Flagship store.
2015: RETA in the category best customer experience with the Flagship Düsseldorf, Germany
