Wopaco

The family business based in Izegem, Belgium was established by the Vanrobaeys family and was acquired by Jorgen and Peter Vanrobaeys, two cousins of the third generation, about 20 years ago. Under their leadership, Vanrobaeys became an established market player and at the same time one of the fastest growing companies in the Belgian sector of timber trade and decorative panels. This strong position is based on the successful combination of a high quality offering, with a strong focus on decorative wood panels, customer intimacy and a highly valued delivery reliability and speed, driven by highly automated production and logistics. Next to a number of own brands, Vanrobaeys offers a wide range of the highest quality wood and interior building materials, with a focus on decorative wood-based panels. The company also has its own production department in which laminates are carefully glued onto wooden panels. An additional service offered to the wood professional is sawing, edging and drilling of all types of wood panels. The strong focus on service, speed and reliability of delivery, next to the offering of additional added value have been instrumental to the success and growth of Vanrobaeys. With the entry of Sofindev in 2020, Vanrobaeys attracted a strong financial and strategic partner to continue the strong growth of its activities, both organically by expanding its range and strengthening the team, and through acquisitions and partnerships. An important step was taken in this regard in 2022 through a partnership with Tom and Mireille Oostendorp, owners of Gésibois. They have transferred their company to the Wopaco group (the Wood Panel Company, which is the holding company of Vanrobaeys group), making Gésibois a sister company of Vanrobaeys. As a result, they also became shareholders of Wopaco. Between the entry of Sofindev in 2020 and the end of 2022, the group has doubled in size, to a turnover of approximately €75 million, and a workforce of more than 100 employees.