Evolution

In the eighties, Biemans started selling sports trophies in a shop in Dongen (The Netherlands), next to leather goods. One day, when there was a shortage of sports trophies, Biemans went to see where the sports trophies came from. It turned out that the different components of the sports trophies mainly came from Italy and were assembled into complete sports trophies by a few parties in Europe.

Biemans approached the manufacturers with the question whether it was possible to buy the components and sell them as components as well. With this new way of selling (components instead of assembled), Biemans made it possible for the retailer to make his own design and to assemble the components himself during off-peak times. In this way, the retailer was able to make more margin on balance.

With the new concept - selling spare components - Biemans grew in the nineties from a local retailer to a major player with customers all over Europe. In the early 2000s, growth stagnated because, on the one hand, the larger parties themselves moved to Italy and on the other hand, the Italians copied the Biemans concept. The core of the problem was that Biemans had no real own designs and no cost advantage as compared to the Italian producers. However, Biemans was able to deliver smaller quantities with a better service.

In the mid-2000s, Biemans headed for the East to see if it was possible to set up its own production of components there. This had to solve the problems of not having own designs and not having a cost advantage. In mid-2006, Biemans succeeded in setting up a production location in China. From that moment on, Biemans could produce its own designs and sell them exclusively. A new growth period of 10 years -despite the economic crisis- lay ahead.

From the middle of 2014, growth started to slow down again. The reason for this was that more and more parties no longer wanted to invest in components, but wanted to purchase complete sports trophies locally. For this reason, Biemans has from then on:

• set up Biemans Polska in Poland;
• bought the largest European assembly centre in the industry.

Biemans also started selling outside Europe.

This gave another big boost to the growth until the beginning of 2020. At that time, Corona made its appearance. First in Asia and then in the rest of the world. As a result, there was no competition sport for a long period of time and, consequently, no or hardly any sports trophies were awarded. Biemans used this period to merge all purchased and self-constructed companies/formulas into one legal entity with the following advantages:

• one order system, one invoice, one administration and one point of contact for the customer;
• One-stop shop (components, assembled together under one roof);
  more efficient and effective;
  higher degree of digitalisation and service level.
• Following the lifting of the Corona restrictive measures, Biemans has seen strong growth across Europe.

In June 2022, Biemans acquired the Dutch company Reefman Sport BV. In addition to assembly, Reefman specializes in fulfillment and the production of rosettes, honorary ribbons and pennants. This last activity is new for the Biemans group

In September 2022, Biemans UK LTD was set up to supply the English market -after Brexit- better and faster. As a result, Biemans expects strong growth in the UK in the coming years.

Subsidiary Reefman Sport BV was completely destroyed by a fire on January 20, 2023. All activities - with the exception of the production of rosettes, honorary ribbons and pennants- have been continued within Biemans in Rijen. The mentioned advantages - one ordering system, one-stop shop, effectiveness and service level - have increased even further.

A completely new Biemans webshop went live at the end of 2023 where:

- the products are better displayed;

- the “look and feel” has been adjusted;

- more product information is provided; and

- a quick order system makes ordering much faster and easier.

With the (forced) merger and the new webshop, Biemans can continue to grow in Europe in the coming years.

Strong designs

As a designer of sports trophies, Biemans is a leading player in the global sports trophy market. A trendsetter.Every year, Biemans designs new products and concepts for its own formulas and catalogues. Biemans also designs products and concepts on behalf of various customers. These products are then produced by Biemans under the customer's name.

An innovative design does not only consist of a good design. The choice of materials, production method and environmental factors also play an important and increasingly important role. Here, too, Biemans plays a leading role.

 

Delivery from stock

The world is changing. Ordered today is delivered tomorrow. Also, in the business-to-business market. This cannot be achieved if the products are not in stock within a certain distance of the customer. For this reason, Biemans has multiple warehouses in Europe to be as close to the customer as possible. In addition, Biemans has invested in software and knowledge to optimise its stock at the various locations. All this must ensure that the customer receives his products as soon as possible.

 

Quality and service

Maximum commitment and friendliness can be expected from us. Our customer service staff and sales managers are ready daily to answer questions that are not automatically answered by our standard ordering and delivery systems. The entire organisation is dedicated to meeting the needs of the customer as well and as quickly as possible. The Biemans service is well-known and represents the highest standard in the industry.

 

One stop shop

From 2022 onwards, Biemans will have all its formulas under one roof. All existing formulas - Biemans, B-Trophy, B-special, B-overseas - will be integrated into one legal entity with an ordering system, a customer service, a contact person and a web shop. This is independent of the fact in which warehouse the products are located. The customer only has to deal with one order, one shipment and one invoice.