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100 Years - retail in Motion
2025 marks the year EK Retail turns 100. This anniversary deserves something special – a celebration, of course, but it means much more to us. This centennial celebration is an opportunity to unite our retailers, suppliers, and employees in a shared vision for the future of retail.
Our Anniversary
2025 marks the year EK Retail turns 100. This anniversary deserves something special – a celebration, of course, but it means much more to us. This centennial celebration is an opportunity to unite our retailers, suppliers, and employees in a shared vision for the future of retail. What has made us strong over the past century are people, the connection we share, and the motion that drives us forward together.
Charity
Celebrating 100 years, EK launches a year-long program honoring our heritage while shaping the future. Through the EU CAN KIDS alliance, we partner with the Princess Máxima Centrum (Netherlands) and Hopp-Kindertumorzentrum Heidelberg (Germany) to advance pediatric cancer research and treatment across Europe and locally.
Discover our charity partnerships and how you can support below.
Princess Máxima Centrum for Pediatric Oncology
The Princess Máxima Centrum, Europe’s largest pediatric cancer center with 900 healthcare professionals and 600 researchers, is dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for children with cancer. By sharing knowledge and data internationally, it drives better treatments and new perspectives for a cure.
Donate Now: https://www.maximaalinactie.nl/fundraisers/ek-retail
KiTZ - the Hopp-Kindertumorzentrum Heidelberg
The Hopp-Kindertumorzentrum Heidelberg (KiTZ), a joint institution of DKFZ, Heidelberg University Hospital, and Heidelberg University, links research and care for children with cancer. It develops individualized therapies for patients without established options and offers clinical trials to ensure access to new treatments
Donate now: https://www.kitz-heidelberg.de/spenden/aktuelle-spendenaktionen?cfd=88vc9
100 Years of Collaboration
16 February – EK Living and Koninklijke Auping are proud to announce a unique collaboration within the sleep industry. Together, they are launching Topdream, an exclusive circular mattress range developed specifically for the members of EK Living.
The new range consists of three high-quality mattresses, each available in two firmness levels. The products are manufactured in Deventer in accordance with the latest sustainability standards. The mattresses are 100% circular, ensuring that Topdream meets the growing demand for circular and future-proof sleep solutions. Thanks to their product passport, the mattresses are also part of a closed-loop mattress system, in which used mattresses are fully returned and recycled into raw materials for new mattresses.
From mid-March, Topdream mattresses will be available at a selected number of affiliated EK Living members.
Conversations with impact
The collaboration was established through constructive discussions between Irene Dingemans (Manager Operations) and Werner op ’t Eijnde (Manager Sales) from EK Retail, and Bas Minkes (Sales Manager NL) and Bertjan Davelaar (Sales Director) on behalf of Auping. A shared vision of quality, sustainability and innovation formed the foundation for the new product range.
“With Topdream, we offer our members a distinctive and sustainable product, fully developed in collaboration with a renowned Dutch manufacturer,” says Irene Dingemans of EK Retail.
“We are proud of this further strengthening of our partnership with EK. By combining our expertise in sleep with EK’s strong network, we are able to reach even more consumers with our unique sleep technology,” says Bertjan Davelaar on behalf of Auping.
About Topdream
Topdream stands for comfort, sustainability and reliability. The mattress range is designed to provide consumers with optimal sleep comfort while focusing on circular production and minimal environmental impact.
De Binnenhuisadviseurs and EK Living have entered into a strategic partnership. The partnership will strengthen both parties’ position in the home textiles and home furnishings sector, with the entrepreneurship of independent home furnishings stores remaining explicitly central.
De Binnenhuisadviseurs is a national collective of 29 specialized home furnishings stores that focuses on larger, ambitious entrepreneurs in the home furnishings sector. In 2025, the collective introduced a revamped digital platform, giving each affiliated store its own professional website, strong online visibility, and targeted marketing campaigns. This approach translates directly into results: an average sales growth of 17 percent in 2025, spread across all product groups.
With EK Living as a partner, this growth formula is further strengthened. Both organizations believe in a model by and for entrepreneurs: no franchise, no straitjacket, but maximum support where it counts. Entrepreneurs remain fully owners of their own store, brand, and image, while benefiting from economies of scale, expertise, and proven marketing strategies.
The collaboration strengthens EK Living’s home textiles activities. In recent years, the organization has focused strongly on the so-called Local Hero strategy, in which independent entrepreneurs are positioned as the most important brand in their region. In this context, EK Living supports retailers with digital marketing, websites, and more.
Utrecht, 12th of December 2025
Great success for EK Living and our partner .Crew at the Dutch Search Awards.
The duo won the gold trophy in no fewer than two prestigious categories: “Best PPC Local Campaign” and “Best Use of Personalisation.” As if that weren’t enough, we also secured silver in the category “Best Use of AI Agents.”
The Dutch Search Awards recognise cases that deliver exceptional performance within the online marketing industry. In several categories, EK Living competed against cases from companies such as Eneco, KwikFit, and Inter Parking.
Winning these awards is an important confirmation of EK Living’s strategy.
“The fact that we can take home these awards for the best local PPC campaign (online paid campaign) and the best use of personalisation is a strong validation of our work. A local market approach is at the core of our identity. That’s why winning in these categories makes it even more special,” says Jean Tijssen, Senior Marketer at EK Living.
The double victory highlights the strength of the collaboration between EK Living and .Crew in delivering high‑quality, locally focused, and personalised online marketing campaigns. With full confidence, EK Living and .Crew will continue to invest and innovate along this path in the coming years, ensuring we maintain and further enhance this leading position.
Thank you all as well for your trust in the EK Living team!
100 Years of collaboration
1925-2025
Questions? Speak directly with our Expert
Looking for more information or do you have any ideas? We’re here to help and looking forward to get in touch.
Daniel Kullmann
Head of Public Affairs
