[Interview] Bavo Vanhalst (Dreambaby, Supra Bazar): “It takes a village to run a business”

Vanhalst Retail Group (Dreambaby, Supra Bazar, Kabine and Qiddo) has reached 40 stores and significant logistics capacity, as scale is increasingly becoming a necessity: “They always say, it takes a village to raise a child; I say, ‘It takes a village to run a business,’” CEO Bavo Vanhalst will explain at the Retail Marketing Day.

“It’s hard to do it alone”

“You need people, systems, expertise, logistics, and purchasing power. It gets tough going it alone,” says Bavo Vanhalst, reflecting on the West Flemish retail group’s spectacular growth and acquisition spree in recent years. “Together, we have about 25,000 square meters of warehouse space and a high-bay warehouse where we can store more than 12,000 pallets.” Scale is essential, including for sourcing from international brands, Vanhalst notes.

So is there also expansion in store for Supra Bazar, the chain that started it all? “The answer is always yes,” says the entrepreneur. However, the requirements are tough: at least 8,000, preferably 10,000 square meters of retail space, several hundred parking spaces, a retail environment that isn’t too crowded, and permits to sell a very broad range of non-food products. “The search is complex. I’m convinced that such locations exist, but they aren’t easy to find.” 

That’s why Vanhalst isn’t focusing solely on organic growth. He expects to see more collaboration, joint ventures, or acquisitions in the broad multi-retailer segment. “The market is becoming more international, administrative processes are getting more complex, and foreign chains are entering Belgium. If local concepts want to survive, they’ll have to collaborate more closely.”

Relationships across generations

Central to the strategy is what Vanhalst calls the “Circle of Life.” The idea: to serve customers not just at a single moment, but throughout their entire lives. “Birth is the beginning, both literally and figuratively. Children will always be born, and there will always be young parents who need information. But the child being born is also tomorrow’s consumer. Surrounding that child are parents, grandparents, and later, new families.”

Dreambaby is the starting point, but not the end point. “Dreambaby wraps up around age three. Supra Bazar takes it further: first day of school, First Communion or spring festival, first college dorm, first love, first summer job. We can’t even imagine the possibilities, and the cycle naturally continues as the child from back then grows into a parent themselves. Every ‘first in life’ is a moment when we can be relevant.”

Second attempt

The goal is ambitious: “loyalty for life.” This applies digitally as well: the group wants to extend e-commerce infrastructure across its various companies. For example, a Dreambaby customer who creates a baby registry should eventually be able to add toys for a second or third child. “We want to reward customers for continuing to shop within our retail group.”

The idea of following a customer through different life stages isn’t new. Colruyt Group (Dreambaby’s previous owner), of all companies, has experimented with it. What’s the difference? Bavo Vanhalst will reveal that on September 24, 2026, during the Retail Marketing Day in Brussels.

This interview is part 2 of a three-part interview series with Bavo Vanhalst, following his keynote atRetail Marketing Day 2026. This year, Retail Marketing Day will feature the resilient and agile stories of retailers who are rewriting the rules, including AVA, Albert Heijn, and Planet B.

Register now for the Retail Marketing Day