German store Kik is opening more and more locations in the Netherlands: is this Action’s new competitor?
Anyone living in the Randstad is seeing them pop up here and there: Kik stores. And you can’t miss them, with all the posters advertising discounts: this store is dirt cheap. In the ‘Action‘ category, then. What kind of store is this? Does Action see a serious competitor in Kik? And is this the replacement for Blokker?
Kik is from Germany. They have already opened around four thousand stores across Europe. They have been in the Netherlands for a while too; you can already see the bright-red Kik in quite a few places in the northeast of our country. But Kik has its sights set on a new target. They also want to conquer the rest of our country. And now that Blokker has closed its doors, things are looking—probably—bright for the chain.
Action + Zeeman = Kik
Kik is quite similar to Action. As I already wrote, it is incredibly cheap. You can buy a huge amount for very little. Like Action, the store has a wide range. You can buy kitchen utensils in all shapes and sizes, as well as gardening supplies, toys and trinkets for the home. The only way Kik differs from Action is that it has a much larger clothing selection. While the average Action store has an aisle with a few basics, you can put together a complete outfit at Kik. So it also has a touch of Zeeman to it.
Grand plans
Kik definitely wants to open twenty stores in the Netherlands this year. Within five years, that number should have grown to at least 125 stores. Blokker’s empty premises are tempting, but they will not acquire them that easily. There are more chains vying for those locations, including Danish Normal—a competitor of Kruidvat. Kruidvat itself, incidentally.
Still, expectations are high that we will see more and more of Kik in the coming period. The formula, which is all about being ‘dirt cheap’, still appeals enormously to us Dutch people. It is not for nothing that Action continues to operate at full steam. We seem to have a bit of an either-or mentality: either we want to pay as little as possible for something, or we deliberately look for luxury. Will we soon simply have too much choice when it comes to being ‘dirt cheap’? With Action, Zeeman, Wibra, SoLow and now Kik, the range seems saturated.
And what about Action?
And what does Kik’s arrival mean for those of us who shop at Action? We still can’t stay away from the store. Chic tableware for next to nothing, luxurious-looking bonbonnières that cost practically nothing and a fantastic copy of a KitchenAid; we don’t think twice about it. Should we leave all that behind and choose Kik from now on? One thing is certain: before long, we will see Kik everywhere. The question is whether we will be able to avoid it at all. And whether we will be able to buy equally lovely, affordable plates, bonbonnières and fake KitchenAids there.
For now, at least, we do not need to worry about Action’s turnover. But whether that will remain the case in the future…
Read also:
- Good to know: these are the cheapest countries in Europe for eating out
- 17 of the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants in the Netherlands
- 10 proofs that Action is the champion of weird snacks
Source: PZC
