Parmesan and French fries go great together!

With a well-attended meeting, Italy's Gibus opened its new office and showroom in the Netherlands. This branch - Gibus' first outside Italy - is to serve the Netherlands, Belgium and the northwest of Germany. Gibus had traveled to Zwolle with a large delegation to emphasize the company's ambitions and high expectations in this part of Europe. 

Slats with solar cells for the Energy Pergola. 

Gibus recently acquired German sun protection specialist Leiner. Z&R reported on this earlier. This had already given the Italian company a base outside Italy in Horgau, 20 minutes from Augsburg. But that was at Leiner. So now a first independent branch has been added in Zwolle. Gibus previously worked exclusively with local agents, but with this "leap over the Alps" is showing its ambitions in northwestern Europe. 

Gibus had packed heavily for the opening on Monday, March 20. There was a large delegation from Italy, led by current CEO Alessio Bellin. In his wake was also Gianfranco Bellin - with wife - owner, father of, and former CEO of Gibus. 

The opening was pleasantly busy. There was live music and snacks and drinks were provided. The catering represented the meeting of Dutch with Italian culture: parmesan and fries! The fact that the CEO of Gibus could also be seen eating fries proved that they go together just fine. 

"It happened quickly," thought Martijn Westenbrink, who heads the Dutch branch of Gibus. "The first contact was made a year ago. Soon I then traveled to Italy to get to know the company and the products well. It actually clicked immediately and in August we were at Polyclose and already now we are opening our showroom in the Netherlands, having received the key in October. The Gibus takeover of Leiner and December holiday season caused some delays, but from January on we went full throttle. In the process we had a lot of support from Italy, including with the showroom design but also from Gibus' marketing department." υ

If you want to enter a market as a foreign company, you actually have to be present there, Westenbrink believes. "Naturally, I have been in contact with many people in the industry over the past few months about Gibus, and with many of them I have found a listening ear. A substantial number of those contacts were present at the opening. I expect that the fact that Gibus now has a showroom in the Netherlands will make our position stronger. The fact that we have a showroom is in itself an advantage. An additional advantage is of course that people can now see and touch our products up close, experience the finish, how they are assembled, and so on. Experiencing a product physically, no brochure, leaflet or photo can beat that!" 

Incidentally, Gibus dealers in the Netherlands, Belgium and the neighboring German area can also use the showroom in Zwolle. After all, a canopy is a major purchase, and not every dealer can show Gibus' wide range in its own showroom. By appointment, Gibus dealers can come to Zwolle with their customers to view the canopies displayed there. (The showroom is not accessible to individuals without dealer escort). 

At the showroom in Zwolle, Gibus also has all the necessary facilities to train sun blind technicians who will be working with Gibus products. "Very important," Westenbrink believes. "If mechanics don't like a product, a dealer is not going to start working on it at all. We have all the facilities here to properly train mechanics, both for practical training and an instruction room for theory." 

"Our team in Zwolle is highly motivated to make Gibus a success in northwestern Europe," says Westenbrink. "Gibus also offers screens and articulated blinds, but we are particularly specialized in slat and folding roofs. In those two product groups, we actually have a solution for everything: from entry-level to 'full options,' all with many lighting options. All of our products are distinguished not only by Italian design, but also by high quality workmanship and product quality, characteristics that match the wishes and needs of consumers in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Belgians were born with a brick in their stomach and therefore like to invest heavily in their homes, the Dutch are often forerunners in following design trends and German consumers appreciate quality and solidity. Gibus responds to all these aspects. So our expectations are high!"