Increased focus on Flemish demand
Lauwers, 31, was born and raised in Belgium, but has been working and living in the Netherlands for several years. She worked for McKinsey & Company since 2009 as its “engagement manager”, but she will now take care of Bol.com Belgium’s development and make sure the store is increasingly focused on Flemish demand.
Her predecessor, Jan Huysmans, came from electronics chain Vanden Borre in November 2012 where he led the eCommerce division. As “director Plaza”, he will be in charge of expanding the “Verkopen via bol.com” division (selling through bol.com). He will also be one of RetailDetail‘s guest speakers at the Omnichannel Congress 2016, which takes place on 4 February.
“It is impressive to see how Jan and his colleagues have managed to build Bol.com in Belgium. I look forward to working with them to expand on the many opportunities we have for the future, which should allow us to continue our growth and better service our customers”.
70 % turnover growth
Bol.com, Ahold’s online subsidiary, has been active in Belgium since 2010 and has built up its local customer base from 25,000 to an astonishing 1 million customers since then.
The company will only say that its 2015 turnover, in the first three quarters, was up 70 % compared to the year before, but will not give any specifics. Compared to Dutch growth, Belgian growth is outpacing it 2:1, although Bol.com has been present in the Dutch market for far longer.
