The Pen | Peter Vanthienen, business development manager, Brio Group.

"The power of the craftsman reaffirmed"

Don't wait for the storm to pass, but learn to dance in the rain. Strong adaptability in a changing market is key, but while maintaining your core values.

Does this mean we have to completely change course? No, not at all. Without a doubt, the established criteria such as quality, trust and service are holding up more than ever. That is what defines true craftsmanship. Cocooning is coming back, people want to invest in their interiors again. And for this they are looking for the one partner who can offer them this total package. The craftsman who guarantees this is set for the future. But as an entrepreneur, how do you set the bar equally high with all the challenges you face?

This is where thoughtful partnerships can play a leading role: stronger together, better together.
By joining forces, you offer each other added value at every level. That's why at Brio we don't speak of members, but of partners. This is how we create a deep engagement between independent companies, suppliers and customers. The recipe? Combining the knowledge of the craftsman with the strength of a chain. Through national support, we enable independents to focus on their core business, but each entrepreneur remains the boss in his own home.  We offer a total overheads service for every specialty: kitchens, bathrooms and total interiors. An added benefit is that our partners help reap the benefits of our inventory platform E.C.K. and the umbrella Connect+ Group, which includes Exellent, Selexion, Expert and so on.

To feel the power of the anchor, one must brave the storm. Our network is alive and well. Together we continue to look for innovative solutions that we as a group can achieve faster and more decisively. Our interior specialists sell experience, dreams, emotion. That is difficult online - but fortunately also the trump card of our professionals, although not obvious today. From the start, our interior specialists were a textbook example of coronaproof interior shopping, since they always worked by appointment. Together with Nelectra, we therefore campaigned for an early reopening. In addition  we kept our partners updated à la minute on the latest new guidelines for our industry, to which our professionals responded immediately.

Customization has always been highly valued, but today it is in the spotlight all over again. The future here lies in the total approach with one point of contact for everything: one-stop shopping. For this you can rely on our craftsmen: they will be the draw in the renewed customer journey. The future is ours!