The Verachtert n.v. company was founded in 1949 by Mr. Jos Verachtert in the centre of Geel (northern Belgium, approx. 15 km away from the Dutch border).  At that time his parents had a well-frequented retailing shop of sewing machines and haberdashery. Though Verachtert n.v. started as wholesale dealer in haberdashery articles, embroidery yarns and knitting yarns, they soon started painting latch-hook and Smyrna rugs and manufacturing needlework kits.

In 1959 a silk screen printing facility was built for printing canvases and table cloths. Verachtert n.v. created the designs, silk screen printed and/or painted the canvases, while the yarns that were (and still are) added to the kits, were always purchased from renowned manufacturers. At that time the foundation was laid for Verachtert’s trade mark:- Vervaco. This name originated from the contraction of characters from the names ‘Verachtert’, ‘Van Nooten’ (Mrs. Verachtert’s maiden name) and ‘Compagnie’. In 1969 the company moved to their newly built premises along the Molseweg in Geel.


Management
In 1972, while in full growth, the Verachtert company met with the decease of their founder, Mr. Jos Verachtert. At that moment the company employed approx. 25 people on a permanent basis as well as many home workers. Verachtert’s management was continued by Mr. Jos Verachtert’s wife Mrs. Maria Van Nooten, together with Mr. Jos Mondelaers as General Manager. Three from Mr. and Mrs. Verachtert’s five children – who were still studying at that time – are now continuing their parents’ company and are actively  involved in the further development of Verachtert n.v. / Vervaco.

They hold the following positions: (from the right to the left)

  • Jos Mondelaers: General Manager since 1972

  • Wilfried Verachtert : marketing, sales in the Benelux countries and Chief Executive Officer

  • Griet Verachtert: creation of Vervaco needlework kits and export manager

  • Peter Verachtert : computer and finances

The excellent collaboration between this management team and a select staff of personnel, made a constant growth of the family enterprise possible.

Strategy
Each new step in the company’s development was consciously considered. In 1988 Verachtert n.v. was the first wholesaler in the needlework- and haberdashery branch, that equipped their representatives with laptop computers. Since then, orders are transmitted by modem to the main office, resulting in quicker and failure-free deliveries.  In the period 1997-2000 Verachtert n.v.  carried through many radical strategic changes.  In 1997 they first started manufacturing outside Belgium. As a test case a small-scale production unit was set up in Tunisia. At the same time the premises in Geel expanded. This expansion was finalized in 1998 and a new modern building with office, storing and production space was put into use. In 1999 a newly built production unit was taken into use in Tunisia where since then an important part of the production activities (canvas printing, silk screen printing, production of ready-made articles, embroidering of models, etc.) take place. In 2001 an additional production unit of approx. 2000 sq was built in Tunisia. At this moment, Verachtert’s total production area amounts up to 7100 sq in Belgium and approx 3300 sq in Tunisia. The total number of co-workers in Belgium and Tunisia approximates to 200. The plant in Tunisia is managed by a Belgian, who speaks Dutch and French and who is assisted by another Belgian, a Frenchwoman and several French speaking Tunisians.

Commercial activities and products
Verachtert n.v. is internationally known as one of the leading manufacturers of quality embroidery kits. Verachtert has a unique collection, since they offer a complete range of kits in various embroidery techniques. The Vervaco collection contains cross-stitch, latch-hook and counted cross-stitch kits, as well as printed tablecloths and tapestry kits. Besides their versatile range of products, Vervaco renews their collection by over 100 new designs each year, which are presented in an annual Vervaco catalogue. In close consultation with the Walt Disney© corporation Vervaco manufactures a splendid Disney© and Winnie the Pooh© collection.

Vervaco kits are sold in 52 countries worldwide.

Thanks to their Tunisian production department of ready-made articles Vervaco is able to implement the current trends for ‘cocooning’ and home decoration to needlework and to commercially convert them into a new ready-made Vervaco Home Decoration collection of needlework cushions. Ready-made means that the cushions are completely finished, including a cushion back with zipper. The customer can immediately start his actual hobby namely embroidering the design. Moreover, this new Vervaco Home-Deco product has a very interesting price. With this new range Verachtert wants to approach a broader clientele, that is looking for ready-made solutions for a contemporary interior. This new Home Deco collection undoubtedly gives an additional value to the Vervaco assortment.

Moreover, Verachtert strongly supports retailer sales with many promotional aids as for instance embroidered showroom models, showcards, posters and displays.

Distribution in the BeNeLux countries
(Belgium, the Netherlands en Luxemburg)
With a permanent sales team of 13 people in the Benelux, Verachtert n.v.  is an appreciated distributor and supplier of amongst others quilt- hobby fabrics (VIP by Cranston©), embroidery fabrics  (Zweigart) etc. In recent years, Verachtert n.v.  has been active in the field of home decoration and table linen with their own trade mark VerDeco.

Besides the above mentioned activities, Verachtert n.v. acts as a leading wholesale dealer in haberdashery articles and accessories in Belgium and Luxemburg. They offer almost all top brands of needlework- and haberdashery articles to over 1500 retailing shops in Belgium and Luxemburg.