Enige Dirk van den Broek Closes Amsterdam Center Store Due to Aggression and Low Profits

The only Dirk van den Broek supermarket in the center of Amsterdam is closing due to a lack of profitability and an increase in aggression and nuisance, according to reporting by Het Parool on July 31, 2026. The decision marks the exit of the discount chain from the city’s central district, citing a combination of financial pressures and safety concerns for staff.

The supermarket operator stated that the location had become unsustainable. The closure is driven by a decline in profitability paired with a deteriorating operational environment characterized by increasing hostility toward employees and general public disorder in the area.

Management indicated that the rise in aggression and nuisance made the daily operation of the store untenable. While specific incidents were not detailed in the announcement, the chain linked the closure directly to these behavioral trends in the city center.

The loss of the store removes a primary discount grocery option for residents and workers in the heart of Amsterdam. Dirk van den Broek typically targets budget-conscious consumers, and the closure of this specific branch leaves a gap in affordable food access within the central zone.

This move reflects a broader challenge facing retail outlets in Amsterdam’s center, where high overhead costs and the complexities of urban management often clash with the low-margin business model of discount supermarkets.

The company has not announced a replacement location or a strategy to reopen in the district. The closure stands as a response to the current socio-economic climate of the city center, where the cost of maintaining security and staff well-being has outweighed the store’s financial returns.