It was one of the most talked-about bankruptcies of 2025: the collapse of Carpetright Netherlands. After a million-euro tax debt and a disastrous IT debacle, the curtain seemed to have finally fallen on its 75 stores. But while the premises were being cleared, former directors Gideon Tienkamp and Maikel Hofman were quietly working on a radical "Plan B." Living360 spoke exclusively with Tienkamp about the brand's resurrection as a sleek, digital player. 
© Carpetright
The new management of Carpetright IP B.V.: Gideon Tienkamp (left) and Maikel Hofman are taking a radically different path with a digitally driven concept. "We are building a healthy organisation on a minimum cost basis."
In September 2025, Carpetright's future coloured jet black. A debt of 13 million euros, including 8 million to the Tax Office, made a traditional restart of the unwieldy retail chain impossible. "The process with the receivers simply took too long," Gideon Tienkamp looks back. "We had four enthusiastic investors, but by the time we were at the table, the main rental properties in cities like Utrecht, Groningen and Amersfoort were already taken. With that, the business case for the physical shops was gone."
The power of the brand: Plan B
Yet Tienkamp and Hofman refused to give up on the brand. "There is so much power in the name and in our knowledge. We asked ourselves: what did go well?" The answer was unequivocal: home advice. Whereas the shops suffered from a lack of innovation and high overheads, it turned out that consumers actually needed expertise at their own kitchen table.
Under the new entity Carpetright IP B.V., the brand name, domains, social media channels and customer base were bought from the estate. A new alliance was made with one of the original investors, the well-known chain De Verfzaak. De Verfzaak not only brings in capital, but also a strong online presence and physical shops where synergy benefits (paint, wallpaper and flooring) are obvious.
No rent, no gas, but growth
The new Carpetright has become a 'pure player'. The ballast of 75 leases, energy bills and maintenance costs is a thing of the past. "Our cost base is now minimal," Tienkamp explains. "The investment is now in the website, marketing and especially in our people. A home adviser has a car and a laptop; that's his shop."
The ambition is clear: Carpetright must become the 'Veneta of floors'. "Veneta has proven that without shops, purely on the basis of home advice and rock-solid online marketing, you can turn a 100 million turnover in window decoration. That is exactly what we will do for the flooring market. We are aiming for sales of 6 million euros in the first year. That's a fraction of the 72 million we used to do, but in a healthy, profitable way."
The flying (silent) start
Although the official marketing campaigns are only being rolled out this week, deliberately after 1 April to avoid confusion, the website has already been 'live' for a fortnight. The results are stunning: without any exposure, 140 requests for home advice have already been received.
"The consumer response is fantastic," says an enthusiastic Tienkamp. "People congratulate us for being back. We even got a question yesterday from a customer about a staircase that had been covered in the past and had stains on it. Precisely by helping those customers directly and well now, we are rebuilding that reliability at breakneck speed."
Former employees return
Flooring remains a delicate product; expertise is essential. That is why Tienkamp is proud to have been able to bring back many former employees. "We started with ten people, but due to the flow of requests, we will be at 15 employees next month and almost 20 by the end of the year. The fact that we have that know-how back in-house is our biggest asset."
As for suppliers, a fresh start has been made. Because of the "emotion" still attached to the bankruptcy among the old partners, new suppliers of top floors have been chosen. For the aggrieved creditors from the past, the bankruptcy is a closed book; Carpetright IP B.V. starts with a completely clean slate.
The basis of the interior
Tienkamp emphasises that the new concept focuses much more on the customer experience. "People often forget that the floor determines the basis of your whole interior. You only really see it properly in your own home, in daylight and with your own furniture. We understand that now better than ever."
With the launch of the revamped website, Thursday 2 April, one of the biggest names in home retail returns to the market for good. No longer as an unwieldy giant, but as an agile, digital specialist.
© Carpetright
More information:
Carpetright
www.carpetright.nl
