“Helping the customer and being appreciated for that. Do what you are passionate about.”
Tell us, who is Sander?
**“My name is Sander van Buiten, and my parents are Arthur and Willemijn. They started the company 44 years ago, and now my wife and I own the stores. Her name also happens to be Willemijn, which was a bit confusing in the beginning, haha!
We have five stores in the central part of the Netherlands: Amersfoort, Utrecht, Soest, Zeist, and Bussum. In Amersfoort, we have a second store called Reyoutiefull. In this store, we sell customers’ pre-owned textiles. They bring in old gems, and we can do two things with them: sell them or send them to Drop & Loop. This encourages old clothing to get a new life.”**
How have you experienced 2022 so far?
**“It was a surprise that we had to close again due to the COVID pandemic. But from the moment we were allowed to reopen, we had an absolutely great season. It felt like a kind of liberation that people were allowed to shop physically again. We went from one extreme to the other!
There was a renewed desire to go out and touch things, to stimulate the other senses. We see this reflected in the shift from online back to offline. Our webshop has existed for ten years and serves as an additional branch, rather than the core.”**
What are you most proud of?
**“I think the COVID period really challenged us. As an entrepreneur, you have to respond to the market — that’s your right to exist. If you don’t do that, then you’re not really an entrepreneur. You have to make decisions yourself, and especially during COVID, it was like playing chess at very high intensity.
You have to check whether your liquidity works out, how you keep motivating your employees, and how you deal with customers. That requires a lot of switching in a short amount of time.
Where you initially think in the short term, you then have to shift back to long-term thinking. That’s what I’m most proud of. At the beginning of the year, we worked out all our long-term plans. For example, we adjusted our own collective labor agreement. This allows people within the Fashion CAO to grow further by managing more team members.
We believe the customer should always be central, and the stylists are the ones who need to create that connection, because they are the most important links in our industry.
You also need to know where your strength lies. For that reason, we are closing our branch in Woerden. The combination of distance and number of stores means that six stores are the maximum capacity for us as entrepreneurs. This allows us to keep a flat organization, be present in the stores ourselves, and truly know our customers.
Finally, we are also very proud of the Boutique Hotel we started in March. Willemijn attended hotel school in the past, so the affinity with that industry has always been there. We decided to approach this concept in the same way we do our stores.
Where you have a personal shopper in the store who helps you through the buying process, the Boutique Hotel has a personal host. The host guides you during your stay in Amersfoort and pairs perfectly with a Workshop Identity Styling in our store on Kortgracht.”**
What are you looking forward to in 2023?
“I think many costs will change next year due to inflation. As a result, customers will make more conscious choices and look for good service at an affordable price. I hope people will continue to choose Arthur & Willemijn.”
How has EK Fashion supported you in recent times?
**“During the COVID period, EK Fashion was very valuable as a sparring partner. Together with InRetail, they represented the interests of entrepreneurs to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy.
They also ensured that the supply chain kept talking to each other to help everyone through this uncertain period. During that time, they were a strong sounding board. In addition, EK Fashion helped maintain the connection between retailers and suppliers.
Lastly, I really enjoyed the fashion events — very inspiring. EK Fashion took a leading role by being one of the first to organize events again. That was really great!”**
What do you do in terms of sustainability?
**“We do several things that contribute to a cleaner future. For example, we have a Drop & Loop machine in the store. We chose this because it helps entrepreneurs achieve circularity. The most important aspect is that customers can see what happens to the items they hand in.
When you put something in a clothing bin, you often don’t know what happens to it. That transparency is what makes Drop & Loop special.
We’ve also looked at how we could make our business operations more sustainable. In 2015, we created our own codes of conduct, which all our brands commit to by taking people and the environment into account when producing their collections.
In our interior design, we use recycled materials — such as flooring, walls, and ceiling elements. All components are reused. The shopping bags we give to customers are made from agricultural waste.
Finally, we developed a black basic T-shirt in two styles, made from recycled organic cotton. The T-shirts are produced in the Netherlands and sold in our stores.”**
Is there anything you’d like to pass on to the reader?
**“COVID taught us that you should do what you enjoy doing. I recently watched a documentary on Netflix about Neymar. He was the most expensive football player ever transferred — €222 million. At Paris Saint-Germain, he was constantly injured. There was so much pressure on him that he kept forcing himself.
Because he was so focused on performing for the money, he forgot what it was really about. Then COVID happened, and players were no longer allowed to play. Neymar decided to return to Brazil, where he played football with his son and his father. That’s when he rediscovered that he simply loved playing the game — dribbling, scoring — and had forgotten that joy.
That’s the lesson: do what you’re passionate about.”**
About Arthur & Willemijn
Arthur & Willemijn has been a well-known fashion chain for nearly forty years, with a distinctive brand mix and a carefully curated collection. So you can express who you are through your clothing choices.
We believe every woman is beautiful exactly as she is. Our goal is to let you experience that yourself. We do this through our unique and free Identity Styling service: personal advice on color, fit, and style by our professional stylists.
Instagram: @arthurenwillemijn | Facebook: @arthur&willemijn | YouTube: @arthur&willemijn
