“A scalable interior delivers real profits”

“The rewards are enormous if you think carefully about the basics first. This is the essence of our scalable interior concepts,‘ says Jeroen Beerens, director/owner of the Beerens Group. ’Our family business, based in Rijen, designs the shops of major Dutch retailers such as Kruidvat, Karwei, Zeeman and ICI Paris XL.”

“The rewards are enormous if you think carefully about the basics first”

The Beerens Group also works for chains in Belgium, France and Germany, such as Rituals and Colruyt. And retail is not the only market in which the Beerens Group demonstrates the major advantages of scalability. Jeroen Beerens: “Scalable interior concepts also deliver tangible benefits when designing offices, hotels, care centres and dental practices, for example. Customers in all sectors are surprised by the savings in time and money and other economies of scale that we achieve for them.”

Standardise

But how does it work exactly? What does “scalability” mean? We are both a trading company and a manufacturing company. We have been supplying shop fittings and interior components to our customers for over 55 years. We purchase standard components and also manufacture our own high-quality BMS shelving system in China. We produce the wooden components ourselves in our highly automated factories in the Netherlands. Jeroen: “Scalability means that we standardise our customer’s interior design formula as much as possible. We translate the components of the formula into standardised shelving, furniture, systems, materials and dimensions. This allows us to purchase, produce and assemble the interior components more efficiently, and makes the roll-out to multiple spaces or locations much smoother and more afforable. All while retaining the customer’s own look and individual wishes.”

Not normal

The Beerens Group has elevated scalability to almost an art form. In addition, we have all the necessary disciplines in-house to fully relieve our clients of any concerns. We have our own engineers, draughtsmen, installers, logistics, and all the services required to fully carry out the development and roll-out of a concept. We also maintain an extensive client-specific stock for our customers, enabling us to set up a shop or new location immediately whenever the client has no time to lose.

“We purchase standard components and also manufacture our own high-quality BMS shelving system in China”

As far as Jeroen Beerens is concerned, we cannot go far enough in our service provision: ‘An average Karwei DIY store is 4,000 m2. Is it normal that we always have two DIY stores’ worth of stock in our warehouse? Is it normal that, two days after a customer calls about a new location, we show up with a trailer full of materials and seven technicians? We think so. But when you take a step back and look at it, you realise: this isn’t normal. Yet we’ve been doing this for 55 years with great pleasure. Out of love for the profession and the customer. But perhaps also because, despite our success, we are still a family business.”

Trust

That family business started in 1968 as a one-man business. In the early days, Jeroen’s father’s activities were limited to selling and installing shelving equipment and shopping trolleys for supermarkets, etc. All from his first office in Breda (read: the living room).

“In the early 1970s, the business moved to its first proper commercial premises with warehouse in Oosterhout. During this period, the first employees were taken on: his brother Toon in the office, his brother Jan as a lorry driver, a warehouse worker and a fitter.”

“It is with good reason that we want to demonstrate that our unique scalable approach delivers tangible benefits”

“So it’s been a true family business from day one. Mid-eighties, we moved to new premises in Dongen. By that point we’d also started some timber production – counters and suchlike – which became Beerens Interieurbouw. We needed bigger premises to accommodate the manufacturing operation. At that time, Beerens Winkelinterieurs had about 25 employees, including my mother and aunts by then, in support roles like reception and admin. My father’s incredible drive kept the business growing steadily, and in 1991 we decided to build new 7,000m² premises in Rijen. We officially opened the building in 1993 – which happened to be (coincidence or not?) our 25th anniversary.”

Today, the Beerens Group is a full-service trading and manufacturing company with an international portfolio and reputation. This is impressive growth, but it also means more competition on a global scale. Beerens: “It’s often about euros and minutes. It’s no surprise that we want to prove that our unique scalable approach delivers concrete benefits. At the same time, I notice that even our largest customers consider other things important as well.”

“Any client who believes in our scalable approach is most welcome. Challenge us.”

“The quality of our product, of course. But also the quality of our relationship. Can we respond quickly when necessary? Can we respond flexibly to the individual wishes of locations and franchisees? Do we provide uncomplicated service if we unexpectedly have to replace a broken glass panel? Can a customer rest assured that we will take care of the entire roll-out down to the last detail? And do we constantly think along with the customer to further improve optimal scalability? I think it all comes down to trust. And at the Beerens Group, we consider this to be just as important as time and money.”

First the basics, then the profit

The Beerens Group excels in retail concepts, but its scalable approach is also proving popular in the market for offices, hotels, care centres, dental practices and more. “You can imagine that scalability through standardisation works well for repeatable units such as hotel rooms and office spaces,” says Jeroen. “But we also design less frequently used spaces such as conference rooms, meeting rooms and pantries. In these cases, the client also benefits from our scalable approach, because these spaces are furnished using the same basic principles, with the same systems, materials and dimensions. First, consider how you can achieve economies of scale through standardisation. Then purchase, produce and assemble efficiently. So first the basics, then the profit. It really works.”

Challenge us

Jeroen Beerens wants to build on the successes in the office and hospitality market. He also has ambitions in retail: ‘We want to grow in France and especially Germany, because our BMS shelving system is a perfect fit there. In the Netherlands and Belgium, we have our eye on some great retail chains where we would like to prove our approach. But any client who believes in our scalable approach is welcome. Challenge us. Show us your basic layout according to your current design or concept. We will optimise it, making it perfectly scalable, and calculate the profit you can expect from a roll-out to 10, 100, 1000 units or more.”