Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – All DOD clothing retail stores permanently stopped their operations. DOD introduced its first store in Brussels in 1979 to offer affordable clothing.
DOD, the Brussels-based clothing chain, made a permanent closure of all its stores to bring a 42-year chapter to its end. Since its establishment in 1979, DOD has gained fame for supplying budget-friendly yet excellent apparel throughout its various outlets, which operate in Brussels and Aalst. The business revealed its permanent closure through social media two weeks back while signalling the conclusion of its historical period.
All physical DOD stores throughout Flanders and Wallonia ceased operations after the department store chain struggled recently. The company went bankrupt in 2016, resulting in the closure of many locations and the termination of about 180 positions. Founder Marc Kissous launched a brief comeback of the chain, but it failed to restore the business to full operation. The French-speaking commercial court of Brussels dissolved DOD in January 2024.
The brand’s statement emphasised,
With great emotion, we announce the closure of our stores after more than 40 years of existence. When DOD saw the light of day in 1979, our ambition was simple: to offer quality products at accessible prices.
What was the history behind DOD’s rise and fall?
When DOD opened its first store in Brussels in 1979, the brand rose swiftly to become a well-known affordable clothing provider. The chain reached its top when it opened stores across all major regions of Flanders Wallonia and Brussels, with a total of six locations in Brussels alone. For more than forty years, DOD has provided budget-friendly brand-name apparel to its customer base.
Bankruptcy in 2016 forced DOD to shut down most of its stores while eliminating 180 positions. Founder Marc Kissous successfully revived the business, but the chain eventually encountered problems that prevented it from recovering. In January 2023, Kissous received a two-year prison sentence, but it was suspended because he falsified information during the 2016 bankruptcy process. The French-speaking commercial court of Brussels terminated the company through dissolution in January 2024.
