HEMA
HEMA is a discount retail chain that started business as a dimestore. H.E.M.A. is an acronym for “Hollandsche Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij Amsterdam” (Hollandic Standard Prices Company Amsterdam).
The company was founded in 1926 by Leo Meyer and Arthur Isaac. They already owned the luxury department store De Bijenkorf. Products were priced at 10, 25 or 50 cents (guilder).
In the 1950s, it was the first franchise organisation in the Netherlands and it still is the largest franchise operator in the country. In 1984, HEMA opened its first store abroad, in Belgium.
The company is characterized by relatively low pricing of generic housewares, mostly made by and for HEMA, often with original design.
Today (2018) HEMA is active in a big part of Europe: more than 750 stores in nine countries with 19.000 employees. Since 2007 it is a property of an investment fund.
Many thanks to Dennis for all the help.
1980s Pink Handle Table Lamp
Materials: Pink painted round metal base (iron). Pink painted iron handle. White opal tubular glass lampshade. Bakelite E14 socket.
Height: 22 cm / 8.66”
Width: ∅ 14 cm / 5.51”
Electricity: 1 bulb E14, 1 x 40 watt max – 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.
Period: 1980s.
Designer: To be appraised, made after a design by Romolo Lanciani for Tronconi in the late 1970s. The original “Tender Table Lamp” can be found here on Vintageinfo.
Manufacturer: Massive, Mortsel, Kontich and Wommelgem, Belgium. It was also sold in The Netherlands by HEMA.
Other versions: This 1980s pink handle table lamp exists in several colours, this one is model 13041/51.
Massive
Massive was in origin a bronze foundry and they produced mainly candlesticks, crucifixes and chandeliers in Wilrijk near Antwerp, Belgium. The company was founded in 1926 by Pieter-Jozef De Jaeck. His son Eddy De Jaeck was responsible for the huge expansion of the company in the 1970s. But it were his sons, Piet and Jan De Jaeck who made Massive a true multinational. Thus, they moved production to Eastern Europe and China.
In the 1980s Massive became the leading brand in Europe. In 2002, the brothers left the company to the investment fund CVC Capital Partners, for allegedly more than 250 million euros. Since 2008 the company is owned by Philips and the name of the shops is changed into Light Gallery.
When the takeover by Philips was announced in November 2006 Massive commercialised more than 10.000 lighting products under brand names such as Massive, TRIO and Lirio. The group had about 5.000 employees worldwide and was active in 70 countries.
Massive sold many lamps made by others. Peill + Putzler from Germany and Yamada Shomei from Japan produced lamps for Massive, to name a few. Many other lighting companies did.
Links (external links open in a new window)
Massive – Wikipedia (in Dutch)
The complete history of the Philips company