2026: 40th anniversary of striking marquise manufacturer

Authority in the market: ‘This is the quality standard’

A crown anniversary should be celebrated. It's as simple as that. And, that's also how people think in Tilburg at the company Schlappi Marquees. We are talking to Dennis Schoormans who took over the company in early 2018 and has now been at the helm for 8 years. “The company as well as the brand already had a good name - otherwise, of course, I would never have started it myself - but together with my team, of course, I also put my own - new - stamp on it over the years. The result? We have grown rapidly in sales and market share. We are more than ever on the map in marquis country!”

So with that knowledge, it is very nice to go into 2026 in good spirits. “Especially in recent years, a lot has changed on the technical front. For example, AI is unprecedentedly on the rise and we ourselves have also developed a configuration tool: the Schlappi Awning Designer. 

The end customer - usually the consumer - can then see the final result of the awning on the facade before the purchase is made at the specialty store. The designer generates a lifelike visualization of an awning on a home in just 5 minutes. “Our dealers have been working with this for a year now and we are getting rave reviews. Logical too. The dealers who are talking to the end customers or end users can immediately make it very concrete through the tool. For example, the fabric color is essential when choosing an awning. With this software developed for us, we can now very easily create and show an animation! Moreover, dealers who work with this tool experience higher conversion rates. And, not unimportantly: I think it also triggers a latent need in the end user. Even if they wouldn't think of awnings yet, that's how you can trigger interest through visualization.”

This technical development that really took shape in 2025 is symbolic of the company's power of innovation. “But there is something else that counts in our organization,” says Dennis. “We provide fast service, we always respond very quickly and our small team is able to keep the personal contact with all our customers. Actually, the credit for that belongs to the founders and former owners Peter and Ans Schlappi from whom we took over the business in 2018. We still see them from time to time, the contact is still very good. We are also still grateful to them for having been able to build up such a beautiful company from 1986.”

So will there really be a celebration in 2026? Dennis has to laugh. “Yes indeed! We are definitely going to do something. Our company's official anniversary date is Sept. 26. We are already looking forward to the party!”

_{‘The nobility under the blinds’}

Every once in a while Ans and Peter Schlappi are still visiting Tilburg at the company they started in 1986. Ans: “Of course we are happy that Dennis and his team have managed to continue the company successfully. We had no doubt from the start that it would turn out that way. Our sincere congratulations for that. It is great to see that our life's work has continued and still has a prominent position in the market for canopies. And rightly so, we think: ‘ Schlappi Marquees stands for quality!’ But also: ‘It is the nobility among awnings!’”