Meet The Buyers at Modefabriek: De Bijenkorf

In Meet the Buyers at Modefabriek we introduce you weekly to buyers of various multi-brand stores, sustainable stores and great boutiques. This week Aniek Zinken of de Bijenkorf. 

Aniek works as a Junior Buyer for the Women's Shoes department within de Bijenkorf department store. As is probably well known, sustainability is of big importance at de Bijenkorf and she is happy that she is challenged as a buyer to not only make the most inspiring or commercial choices, but also to look for the most sustainable options for their range. 

“In addition to the 7 physical stores within the Netherlands, de Bijenkorf has now also opened webshops in Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg and Austria. This keeps purchasing incredibly dynamic because every market has different needs, but also because you want to create a high level of service and experience in both the physical stores and in our webshops.“

Why is it relevant for you as a buyer to visit a trade fair like Modefabriek? 

By visiting trade fairs I get a good picture of what is happening in the market, I get a chance to be introduced to new, emerging brands and to talk to suppliers. Especially after the lockdowns, it is also good to meet everyone in person again. In this way I hope to come across new innovations that may be relevant to de Bijenkorf.  

What are you most looking forward to in the coming buying season? 

A new buying season always brings new energy. This time I am looking forward to being able to go on the road again after a long time of digital purchasing and to actually have products in my own hands again. The experience, inspiration and new stimuli that you normally find during the purchasing season were completely missing while working from home. I can't wait to visit all the brands again, to be able to see the collections in person and to be inspired again by visiting other cities, seeing other retailers and seeing what everyone is wearing after-covid.