How Scotch & Soda’s Bankruptcy Unfolded Through Owlin’s Real-Time Monitoring
At Owlin, we help users detect and mitigate risk signals in their vendor, merchant, or supplier portfolio as early as possible. And what better way to illustrate this than with a use case? Today, the fashion brand Scotch & Soda.
News About Scotch and Soda in March 2023
At the beginning of March 2023, the website fashionunited.com published about what proceeded to the bankruptcy of the Dutch fashion brand Scotch and Soda. The article1 points out that the brand faced challenging years, with 2020’s numbers showing a €159.6 million loss due to Covid-lockdowns.
In response, the brand secured crucial funding from Dutch banks and its US-based owner, Sun Capital, followed by an energetic rebrand and an ambitious push into international markets. The plan was clear: to drive a global resurgence, opening flagship stores at home in the Netherlands and beyond. Scotch & Soda’s expansion strategy was paying off. By November 2022, it celebrated double-digit sales growth that pushed revenues above pre-pandemic levels.
However, although the article mentioned rumors that Sun Capital was considering selling Scotch & Soda, the brand didn’t want to comment.
End of March 2023: Rumors are confirmed
By the end of the month, we learned that the rumors mentioned in the Fashion United article turned out to be accurate, as the Dutch company was going to have a restart via the company’s takeover by US investment house Bluestar Alliance2.
June 2023 Insights Into the Bluestar Alliance Deal
In June 2023, we learned from the bankruptcy report (which the Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad published) that the American investment firm had made a hefty €60 million investment3.
Moreover, we learn that following the acquisition, Bluestar Alliance has sold a portion of Scotch & Soda to a newly formed entity, S&S Europe, helmed by the brand’s former CFO. This new company would manage Scotch & Soda’s operations in Germany, Belgium, Austria, and its Dutch stores.
October 2023: The Owlin Dashboard Detects An Early Warning Signal of Concern
In October 2023, our Owlin dashboard detected a flicker of potential new trouble. In an alert, two online sources mentioned that Scotch & Soda France had filed for receivership. Only a few other media outlets picked up on the news4.
A Couple of Quiet Months
What happened next? Silence. The months rolled by with little to no additional news about Scotch & Soda’s operations. For many, it might have seemed like things had stabilized, or maybe the problems were isolated to France.
The Breaking Point: June 2024
By June 14, 2024, our tool picked up a surge in news about the brand, and this time, it was much more significant: S&S Europe, the Northern European retail and e-commerce arm of Scotch & Soda, had filed for bankruptcy. The impact was staggering. The fallout affected 92 stores and 721 employees across Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, and the Netherlands, where 28 stores and 320 employees were caught in the crossfire. The cause? Logistical issues and ongoing losses since the brand’s initial 2023 bankruptcy5.
Owlin’s Advantage: Detecting Risk Signals That May Go By Unnoticed
Early detection of risk signals was crucial for those managing the exposure to Scotch & Soda, whether in supply chains, financing or as a payment provider. A full, real-time view of the company’s status could have empowered these stakeholders to make informed decisions and mitigate risk. Yet, such foresight is challenging to achieve when events unfold.
Continuous Monitoring for Early Warnings
With Owlin, critical signs—like the early October 2023 notice of Scotch & Soda France’s receivership—are highlighted and contextualized as part of the broader risk picture. Tracking this development months ahead of the bankruptcy allowed for more informed and proactive risk management, as each signal became part of an unfolding story, offering clarity well before the crisis hit. Our platform captures these moments, linking them to a larger narrative that uncovers potential threats other systems may miss.
Empowering Decisions Through Real-Time Risk Monitoring
Setting the correct parameters and catching subtle signals early is essential for risk navigation in today’s fast-changing business landscape. At Owlin, our mission is to provide that essential visibility, empowering users to interpret and act on real-time data with precision. Interested in learning how Owlin can support you in mitigating risk across your third-party relationships? Reach out to our team for a demo, and let’s explore how real-time insights can make all the difference in your risk strategy.
Sources
- fashionunited.com (March 22, 2023) Scotch and Soda’s Bankruptcy: What Proceeded it?
se.fashionnetwork.com, October 31, 2023,
- dutchnews.nl Marchh 2023) New owner for Scotch & Soda NL, most staff will keep their jobs
- gondola.be (June, 2023) Bluestart Alliance betaalde 60 miljoen euro voor doorstart Scotch & Soda
- se.fashionnetwork.com (October 31, 2023), Scotch & Soda France files for receivership
- fashionunited.com (June 12, 2023), The full story: Scotch & Soda one year after the Bluestart takeover