Belgian start-up Wasbar eyes 1,000 locations across Europe

Expand to 1,000 locations

First Top Brands intends to improve Wasbar’s formula, especially its food offer, and then expand it on a national and international level. It wants to add snacks that customers can take home, but there is no collaboration with Pizza Hut planned, even though Top Brands also runs Pizza Hut’s Belgian restaurants.

First off, Top Brands wants to expand Wasbar’s Belgian operations to some 30 – 40 locations, but its international plans are far more impressive: it wants to head to France next year, with a planned 150 – 200 stores. The goal is to open about 1,000 stores in the Benelux, France, Germany and Southern Europe.

The first Wasbar opened in 2012 in Ghent, opened by Dries Henau and Yuri Vandenbogaerde, with expansions to Antwerp and Courtrai following soon. Currently, it manages a 900,000 euro turnover in those three shops, but it is still onerous because of many on-going investments. Both founders will have a stake in the company and will remain involved in its development. They will also take care of the company’s public relations and that of Paul’s, Top Brands’ bakery formula.