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Kwantum At home all over the Benelux.

Rob Berns, CEO since 2008: "If you have the freedom to make intelligent choices and smart investments, you’ll get quick results."

"Kwantum was part of the listed Macintosh Retail Group. Given that this Group’s focus was mainly on shoes, as market leader in floor and window coverings we were a bit like the odd one out. It meant that Kwantum had to be privatized, and we eventually landed at Gilde. To be honest I was a bit anxious about making the transition from a listed company to a private equity setting. I thought it would be all about cutting costs. Fortunately, my earlier perception of Gilde has been completely turned around. Gilde is a perfect fit for us. Personal, quick to react and very authentic. They believe in our inherent strength and our collaboration was immediately successful."

Back at the helm.

"Our first step was to extricate ourselves from Macintosh, legally and operationally, a process that was considerably accelerated by Macintosh’s bankruptcy. It was all a little nerve-wracking at the time, but it’s now great to be back at the helm and in control again. Our company has always been very ambitious, but the fact our earnings

were largely channeled into other companies in the Macintosh Group had held us back. Kwantum at the time was like an otherwise healthy plant that was being starved of water. The buy-out gave us breathing space, the chance to step back from the abyss and the prospect of having a future again."

“Gilde is a perfect fit for us. Personal, quick to react and very authentic.”

Rob Berns, CEO Kwantum

New generation of customers.

"Kwantum is for people who are looking for quality and economy, as opposed to brand names. Our product-price balance has always been our strength; the only thing that’s changed is the customer journey. This is why we’ve changed our processes to make sure we are wherever the customer is looking for us. We’ve also put ourselves firmly in the picture as the floors and windows discounter that caters for the whole process, from A to Z. This translates to a more extensive service proposition, complete with new systems and processes. People nowadays have fallen out of love with doing it themselves and increasingly want us to take care of everything. And we’re more than happy to do it, with specialists who are ready and willing to help a new generation of customers."

Conquer the market with Leen Bakker.

"Our approach produced results quite quickly, thanks to a more focused course and a reinvigorated management team. An improving housing market also put some wind in our sails. In truth, we managed to get on course pretty quickly and Gilde could have become complacent. But instead Gilde saw more opportunities. With an eye on our biggest competitor, Leen Bakker, they recognized that together we could conquer the market. A combination of Kwantum and Leen Bakker sounds rather special to me. I’m proud we managed to acquire Leen Bakker from Blokker together. Two fantastic formulas that complement one another."



Visit the website

See what growth and collaboration can do for a business:

#1

in floor and window coverings in the Dutch market

>100

stores in the
Netherlands and Belgium

>123.000

visitors per day in stores
and online

Team

Gerhard Nordemann

Daniel Winkelman

Hent van Heusden

Year of investment

2015

Industry

Retail

Location

Tilburg, the Netherlands

Other investments

Manufacturing

Dunlop Protective Footwear Spreading its footprint all over the world.

Read more
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