A well-known clothing chain closes in Spain: up to 13 stores will close their shutters and many workers will be fired

The well-known clothing and textile products chain Zeeman will close 13 stores in Spain after reaching an agreement with the unions within an Employment Regulation File (ERE). The company of Dutch origin, specialized in the sale of clothing and household products at affordable prices, had initially proposed closing the shutters of up to 15 establishments, although in the end two of them were saved after negotiations with workers’ representatives.

This closure is in addition to that of other well-known brands that are reducing their activity or even ceasing it completely in our country, as we saw with the case of Benetton, which closed up to 30 stores in Spain last year. In the case of Zeeman, the decision will affect part of its staff, although the agreement reached has made it possible to improve compensation for employees who have to leave the company.

It was on June 29, 2026 when the company managed to reach an agreement with the UGT, CCOO and Fetico unions, after several weeks of negotiations with the idea of ​​not leaving workers without any support. As a result, the stores in Burriana, in Castellón, and Cartagena, in Murcia, will basically remain open, thus avoiding the layoffs that would have occurred in these two establishments.

According to the information in the FeSMC-UGT statement, thanks to the negotiation it has been achieved that there are no more forced departures, although the definitive number of affected workers is not yet known nor the complete list of the 13 stores that will close the shutters.

Zeeman will close 13 stores and pay compensation of up to 33 days per year worked

Negotiations between Zeeman and union representatives began on June 1. The intention was to reduce the impact of the ERE announced by the company and achieve better conditions for employees who lost their jobs.

Finally, both parties have reached an agreement that improves the compensation provided for a part of the workforce. Specifically, workers affected by forced departures and those who accept a voluntary departure through exchange will receive 33 days of salary per year worked, with a maximum of 24 monthly payments.

This amount exceeds the legal minimum provided for a valid collective dismissal, which establishes compensation of 20 days per year worked, with a limit of 12 monthly payments.

In addition, the agreement contemplates the payment of another 15 days of salary corresponding to the period between the worker’s effective departure and the formal termination of his contract.

Of course, not all employees will receive the same amount. Those who decide to leave the company voluntarily without being initially affected by the file or replacing another worker will receive compensation of 20 days per year worked, with a maximum of 12 monthly payments.

UGT has positively valued the result of the negotiations, since it has managed to avoid the closure of two stores and reduce the number of mandatory layoffs. For now, the specific dates on which the 13 affected establishments will stop operating have not been communicated.

A relocation plan for affected workers

The labor consequences of the closure of these stores are not limited only to compensation. The agreement also includes a series of measures aimed at making it easier for affected employees to find another job.

In fact, Zeeman will launch an external outplacement plan managed by Randstad, which aims to help workers who leave the company to join other companies.

Specific measures are also contemplated for those employees who are over 55 years old. In these cases, the special agreement with Social Security will be activated when legally applicable, to protect your contributions and prevent the loss of employment from harming your future benefits, especially retirement.

On the other hand, a monitoring commission will be created made up of four representatives of the company and another four of the workers. Their role will be to ensure that the agreed conditions are met and resolve any possible problems that may arise during the process.

With this agreement, Zeeman reduces the closures initially planned in Spain from 15 to 13. An adjustment that will allow the Burriana and Cartagena stores to remain open, although it will mean the disappearance of other establishments in the chain and the departure of some of its workers.