Interview with our Director @ WONEN360.nl
Founder Eric Verheijen: "Very busy putting WR-inspired on the map as a brand"
In Olen, near Antwerp, we are putting the last hand on the renewed showroom of WR-inspired, a brand name of the holding company Sofa Dome. It is a Mansion from 1890, where old memories speak through characteristic ceilings and walls. The location is arranged in such a way that both indoor and outdoor collections can be exhibited. "The spaces breathe the philosophy and vision of the brand. This can be felt in the design and atmosphere at each space that fully demonstrate the versatility of our products," explains founder and CEO Eric Verheijen. "We are in progress to put WR-inspired on the map as a brand. We are working hard to achieve this, and we see that we are on the right track. The collection is very demanded, both nationally and internationally."
About of the brand
WR-inspired is characterized by a luxurious design collection, with metal as the common thread and supplemented with natural materials such as marble, glass and wood. The range of the Belgian brand mainly consists of coffee tables, dining room table, chairs and wall furniture. These are complemented by decoration pieces such as mirrors, lamps and interior vases. The result is a balanced collection and is a great addition to any store or interior project. "Our vision is that the products should be an asset to a complete experience and the creation of a unique furniture concept for our customer", Eric explains.
Our approach
The collections come from our own production lines from Europe, this offers many possibilities and is therefore a big advantage. "We are in constant direct contact with our production lines, which means that we spend a lot of time abroad. This is very labour-intensive, but it contributes enormously to the further expansion and innovation of our organization."
The products are developed by a compact in-house design team in Belgium. This is also the heart of our sales. We are working hard to fully automate our business. The logistics story is abroad and is closely linked to our production, which offers the possibility to skip a station. For example, we offer a direct logistics service to the customers.
Current difficulties
"We have increased strongly in the last six months", says Eric, "but we have nevertheless been challenged by some contemporary problems, especially the import of raw materials such as wood and steel has had an impact. This has unfortunately led to a few targets where we couldn't achieve what we had in mind."
The margins are currently under pressure as there is great uncertainty in the purchase of raw materials, prices fluctuate enormously and are very unpredictable. This concerns several raw materials that apply to us, such as: steel, wood, packaging, powder coating, electricity, gas, transport and more… "This does not always make it easy, nevertheless we accept the challenge. We are a very stable company, it is our top priority to be and remain a reliable partner."
Focused on the future.
The aim is to further expand the presence of our interior brand WR inspired. "We do not want to become the largest player, it is more important to us that we can keep the overview. We are working towards a stable customer base and are generating a good turnover. By this way, we want to serve our current and potential future customers throughout Europe, and to be inspired by our collection."
Participation in international trade fairs, such as Maison&Object and Furniture Fair Brussels, should contribute to this. WR-inspired can be visited in hall 6 (STAND A26 -B25) in the French capital and in hall 8 (stand 107) in the Belgian capital.
Publiced on: fr 19 aug 2022
Autor: Sietse Hielkema
original article:
https://www.wonen360.nl/article/9448243/oprichter-eric-verheijen-volop-bezig-om-wr-inspired-als-merk-op-de-kaart-zetten/