Coen Goorhuis new director of Weinor for Belgium and the Netherlands

Earlier this year, Coen Goorhuis (40) started as the new director of the Netherlands and Belgium at sun protection manufacturer Weinor based in Zwolle. Goorhuis was previously active in online window decoration and takes a lot of knowledge and experience from this. "Moreover, I am very data-driven. That will largely determine how - together with the trade - we can further strengthen our position in the market. Furthermore, we are going to communicate with consumers more than ever before. We are not going to sell directly to end customers, but I am striving to ensure that when they step into the specialist trade, they ask about a Weinor awning!" 

Before joining Weinor, Goorhuis was for many years ultimately responsible for sales at one of the fastest growing window decoration companies in the Netherlands and Belgium. The opportunity presented itself to take the next career step and prepare Weinor for the future. "I seized that opportunity, of course!" 

Goorhuis foresees an important development in the industry. "The awning world - whether it wants to or not - will go more online. So will the trade. The industry will change faster, in part because of far-reaching digitalization and the importance of data. Perhaps faster than the industry itself may think." 

Above all, Weinor wants to be an ally in this. "Of course, through our site we already generate leads from consumers who come directly to our business partners, but we are going to investigate more than before whether these leads actually lead to actual sales. And if they don't, why not? We are therefore now working on a plan to generate more qualitative - that is, relevant - leads that the trade can do something with and generate more sales through." 

But that is far from all, Goorhuis believes. "In addition, the entire customer journey is being scrutinized and improved where necessary. Of course, we are also taking a critical look at ourselves. We are going to work with an improvement plan in which all parts of the customer journey will be assessed. We do this mainly to keep each other on our toes. After all, we have to do it together. That will certainly produce many inspiring moments. I look forward to that, because the inevitable transition in the market is a serious challenge that we cannot ignore and where there are opportunities for all of us." 

According to Goorhuis, it is also necessary to be proactive. "After all, after two corona years in which an awful lot of money was made in the awning industry, a period is now approaching in which we all need to 'fight' more for consumer favor again. So there is work to be done!" 

New sustainable factory

However, one major desire of consumers remains unabated: short delivery times! This is something Weinor is working very hard on, assures Goorhuis. "In January, we inaugurated our renovated factory near Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany. There we produce our products on no less than 7,500 m²! The factory is high-tech, state-of-the-art. So is everything to do with sustainability and environmental friendliness. So our goal is not only to deliver quickly, but we also want to meet the great desire for sustainability from the market."