Hillewaere Group continues to grow and integrates Groep Garant from Limburg
Hillewaere Group is joining forces with Groep Garant from Limburg. This will not only strengthen our presence in the Limburg market, but will also enable Groep Garant, originally consisting of six estate agencies and itself merged at the end of 2022, to guarantee further growth. ‘Thanks to this consolidation, there is room for even better service with a focus on local roots,’ we both agree.
Groep Garant is no stranger in Limburg. Entrepreneur Filip Colson joined the company his father founded in 1973 in 1998. Since the start of his success story, Colson has already completed a number of acquisitions and mergers. In 2016, he acquired Verzekeringen Geurts in Genk, followed by Groep Christoffels in Lanaken in 2020. More recently, Meus-Nouwen and Dominiek Spreuwers Verzekeringen in Bree and Verzekeringen Grondelaers in Genk also joined the Limburg-based “Groep Garant”. ‘Each one is a piece of the puzzle in a beautiful growth story,’ they say.
Now it is time to integrate these six insurance agencies into the Hillewaere Group. As you know, we have been on an acquisition trail for the past two years and aim to further consolidate the fragmented landscape of insurance and real estate brokerage. Since the first series of consolidations, Hillewaere has grown to around XXX employees, and this integration will add no fewer than XXX employees to our team.
“It goes without saying that the integration of Groep Garant is a major next step in our growth story. It brings a great deal of additional expertise to our group. I immediately had confidence in the knowledge and professionalism of both the directors and their teams. What's more, we share the same values and have the same DNA. We have also noticed that our partnership model, whereby the directors of the acquired offices become partners within our group, is greatly appreciated. I wouldn't have it any other way. These people know their market, their business and their team like no other." Roel Druyts, CEO and founder of Hillewaere Group
By joining the Hillewaere Group, Groep Garant, originally consisting of ColsonPlus, Geurts, Groep Christoffels, Meus-Nouwen, Dominiek Spreeuwers and Grondelaers, is guaranteeing itself even more growth opportunities. This is a positive development for the various partners within Groep Garant, consisting of Filip Colson, Bart Siolik, Joke Christoffels and Joris Janssen. All employees will also remain on board.
“The insurance industry is a challenging sector and faces a number of challenges, including the digitisation of our business. We also need to keep up with the latest trends and changes in the market. This is only possible if you join forces. Being part of a large group allows you to remain locally anchored and close to your clients with knowledge of the local market, while at the same time relying on a professional back office and the knowledge of your colleagues within the group, each of whom has their own expertise. It quickly became clear that Groep Garant and Hillewaere Groep share the same vision and values. We are therefore delighted to join forces with Roel and his team. Filip Colson, co-partner at Groep Garant and founder of Colson
As with the previous mergers that led to the creation of Groep Garant, the directors are confident that this will work just as well with the Hillewaere Group. Each office will contribute its expertise, thereby strengthening our Hillewaere brand. Groep Garant has expertise in both personal and business insurance.
In 2022, we already integrated two insurance offices from Limburg. With this latest integration, we will immediately become the largest insurance player on the Limburg market under the Hillewaere banner, with offices in Bree, Genk, Lanaken and Hasselt. Thanks to these consolidations, our local offices will be able to optimise their services and product expertise, partly thanks to the tools we provide. In addition, local roots remain essential for the offices, with the same contact persons that customers are accustomed to.
"We are delighted to be joining forces with our Limburg colleagues at Groep Garant. We are still working out the details of how we will organise ourselves in practice, but it goes without saying that all offices in Limburg will work closely together. We want to focus increasingly on regional hubs per province, where colleagues support each other and ensure cross-fertilisation of knowledge and expertise. Employees will continue to work “hybrid” at their own locations, but will also be able to fall back on the back office at the national headquarters in Turnhout." Jurgen Nelissen, director of Hillewaere Verzekeringen Hasselt and Genk
With this integration, our Hillewaere Group now has 250 employees and a commission turnover of 34 million euros. Our strategic plan is to reach €70 million in the next three years. In addition to our nine acquisitions over the past two years and the acquisition of Groep Garant (ColsonPlus, Geurts, Groep Christoffels, Grondelaers, Meus-Nouwen and Spreuwers) now, the total stands at 15.
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