Heading out to do some shopping soon? The Northern Times is curating a list of businesses in the provinces of Groningen, Drenthe and Friesland that are owned and operated by first generation immigrants in the region.
In the Netherlands, there are quite a few resources available to help you start your own business, be it a brick and mortar shop, an online store or freelance services. In order to create work for themselves, thousands of internationals start their own companies through the chamber of commerce each year, and there are hundreds of digital start-ups in the north, as well as incubators and accelerators in every province. While there are countless online companies launched by internationals that make a huge contribution to the regional economy, this series is focused on good old fashioned physical store fronts.
To kick things off, we’ve compiled an overview of establishments in the city of Groningen where you can shop locally while supporting the international community. You can click on the map to see a description of each establishment’s history.
Block & Barrels (South Africa)
Hoogstraatje 3 – 5
Gustatio (Italy)
Oosterstraat 3
Le Souk (Algeria)
Folkingestraat 21
Leuk & Lekker (America)
Grote Kromme Elleboog 8
Mulder Fiesten (Lebanon)
Linnaeusplein 51
Olijfboom (Greece)
Steentilstraat 28
Sabor a México (Mexico)
De Grote Roltrap
Salon Amoeri (Iraq)
Gedempte Zuiderdiep 34
Spices (India)
Westersingel 23
The Smooth Brothers (Afghanistan)
Zwanestraat 31
Thomas Sykes Hair Studio (America)
Gedempte Zuiderdiep 91
Tvilight (India)
Rozenburglaan 3
Voilà (Czech Republic)
W. A. Scholtenstraat 39
Nieuwe EbbingestraatThis street just outside the canal ring in the city of Groningen is chock full of foreign-owned shops and businesses. Dagblad van het Noorden did a cool feature on this corner of the city a few months ago. AfriCarib (Liberia) Nieuwe Ebbingestraat 99 Polski Smak (Poland) Nieuwe Ebbingestraat 84 Rose des Sables (Algeria) Nieuwe Ebbingestraat 81 Friendship Travel and Trade Company (China) Nieuwe Ebbingestraat 63 Mustan Kleding Reparatie (Turkey) Nieuwe Ebbingestraat 54 SOAP (Iran) Nieuwe Ebbingestraat 6 |
Not just restaurants and tokos
Six percent of all companies in Groningen, Drenthe and Friesland have a foreign-born owner. The most common nationalities are German, Chinese, Indonesian, Turkish and Polish. It is not just restaurants and grocery stores, either – far from it. In fact, only five percent of companies registered at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce with a first generation owner in Groningen, Drenthe and Friesland are in the hospitality industry. There are more than 9,000 businesses owned by foreign-born people in the north: 2,143 in Drenthe, 4,045 in Groningen and 2,988 in Friesland.
| Types of businesses owned by first generation immigrants in the north:
21% business services 14% retail 10% construction 10% health 7% agriculture and horticulture 6% culture, sport and recreation 6% personal service 5% IT and media 5% hospitality industry (restaurants, cafes) 4% industrial 4% wholesalers 3% logistics 1% financial institutions 0% energy, water and environment |
Do you have a physical storefront somewhere in the north, or do you know someone in your community who does? Let us know and we will include them in our ongoing list.
Photo source: Philip Brewer/Flickr
