Job Discussion Forums

[lucia79]

A while back some friends and I were talking about BIM and one person said that BIM was recently bought by a Dutch company. About a month after hearing this I noticed that BIM started carrying stroopwafels! I love stroopwafels. Anyways, I tried to find some information online about BIM being taken over and a friend of a friend who is Dutch searched the internet too, but didn't find anything either. So, does anyone know if it is true or not? If it is, maybe we can look forward to more tasty Dutch goodies.

[Dedicated]

Hello Lucia79,

I haven't seen anywhere yet that BIM was bought by a Dutch company.This discount chain has flourished by importing the business model pursued so successfully by Germany's Aldi, and also Lidl.

The biggest shareholder in BIM is Mustafa Latif Topbas, a conservative billionaire businessman, which is why the stores won't sell alcohol or cigarettes. They have political connections with the AK party as one of the founders, Cuneyd Zapsu, is one of Erdogan's key advisors.

I guess they are just importing anything from Europe that will sell. Enjoy!

[spiral78]

Tasty Dutch treats: stroopwafels qualify, but how about those awful black 'drops'? Test of a true Dutchman, if you can chew one of those all the way to the swallowing stage without gagging!

[lucia79]

--Dedicated, Hey thanks, I guess it was just a coincidence that the stroopwafels appeared after my friend said BIM was bought by a Dutch company. I know they have things from other countries coming in such as cranberries and walnuts from the U.S. and chocolate spice cookies from Germany etc. Anyways, thanks again for the info.

[delal]

An American told me that Walmart has shares in BIM, not that any obviously US products have turned up on the shelves since then (2 years ago)
Lucia79-not sure how long you've been here but not long enough to have done a winter here yet I think- here's a tip: sometime soon (Oct or Nov) BIM will have feather duvets again and, as long as you're not allergic to feathers, they are worth their weight in gold. So much warmer and lighter than the sybthetic ones. They are so popular they always sell out quickly.�(I now have two and will aquire another couple if I'm quick enough this time round)

[lucia79]

Thanks Delal, but I'm covered for the winter as I come from a cold place. I've been in Turkey for a while and have experienced winters here. I know BIM has good deals and you gotta get there fast to get them. For example, my husband picked up an Intex inflatable bed for when we have guests, and I saw it not too long ago in a Target flyer, but we of course, got it for a much better price.