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Platform on sun and daylight control, shutters, patio covers and closures
Hunter Douglas, market leader worldwide in window coverings, now develops, produces and distributes all its screen fabrics in Europe under one brand: the fully rebranded Mermet. The expertise built up over decades by the Belgian companies Helioscreen and Copaco, the French company Mermet and the Spanish distributor Screen Protectors comes together in one collection. Production and logistics facilities in Belgium, France and Spain join forces. “This is a statement toward the market, says John Risman, CEO of Hunter Douglas Europe. “By combining our knowledge, we are more than ever the reference when it comes to screen fabrics.” Hunter Douglas is investing 20 million euros in the brand.
More than ever before, the revamped and strengthened Mermet guarantees an endless range of solutions with an ultimate goal: to create as much comfort as possible at every level, through high-quality awning fabrics that provide thermal and visual comfort as well as optimize energy consumption. These fabrics are long lasting and easy to maintain.
The name Mermet is maintained as the European umbrella brand name. This was decided after extensive market research around brand awareness, due to the strong brand value in Europe, as well as on other continents. However, the brand has been given a completely new design, thus further underlining Hunter Douglas' ambitions.
The premise of the renewed Mermet does not rest on chance: It original screen fabric. Since 1951, the passionate team of experts - united under the renewed brand - has been on a common mission. Central to this is the desire to contribute to creating restful, intimate and calm places to work and live. Joining forces means going the extra mile to boost that ambition.
“Bringing all the collections together fits Hunter Douglas” growth ambitions.", says John Risman, CEO of Hunter Douglas Europe. “By making the product portfolio unambiguous and clearly recognizable, optimizing production and distribution, combining marketing and R&D resources as well as linking all knowledge and expertise together, Mermet wants to take customer satisfaction to a higher level. We achieve this partly by making it easier and clearer for customers.”
With a strong push from its major shareholder 3G, Hunter Douglas is investing 20 million euros in the company under the revamped Mermet brand name. This includes investments in a new 8,000 square meter central warehouse in Bavikhove, Belgium, new software and new production lines (to optimize and increase production) in the various production facilities in Belgium and France.
The brand new Mermet collection of indoor sun protection fabrics will be presented for the first time at the R+T trade fair in Stuttgart on February 19. By the end of 2024, and by early 2025 at the latest, a completely new collection for outdoor awning fabrics will also be launched under the Mermet brand name. Insect screens will continue to be sold under the Copaco brand name.
The fabrics of the revamped Mermet will be produced and distributed on and from sites in Belgium (Bavikhove and Lokeren) and France (Les Avenières Veyrins-Thuellin). Spain's Mataró (Barcelona) will become an additional distribution center for the renewed Mermet brand.
François Lacquemanne will take the reins as CEO of the revamped Mermet. With more than 35 years of experience in technical textiles and business development - at companies such as Porcher Industries, Protection One and Saint Gobain Adfors/Vetrotex - he was appointed general manager at the French manufacturer of awning fabrics in late 2009. Mermet was acquired four years earlier (in 2005) by Hunter Douglas, which had already acquired Belgium's Helioscreen in 1997. Copaco joined the group in 2019.
“Our teams of European experts are trusted by the world's leading manufacturers of blinds,” says Lacquemanne. “With their years of experience, they are constantly developing high-quality awning fabrics that last a lifetime and are easy to maintain. Every fabric we create, every new innovation we bring to market and every decision we make - big or small - has one ultimate goal: to create the best possible comfort at every level. We create screen fabrics for people, not so much for buildings. In doing so, we always consider the needs and wishes of the end users. Their comfort and happiness is our main focus. At all times.”
François Lacquemanne will take charge of a rotating management team, with diverse expertise and representatives from the branches in the three different countries. He will be assisted by Luc Janvier, who started his career in 1992 as Sales Manager at Helioscreen and is currently Managing Director at Helioscreen and Copaco. With broad knowledge of the business and an extensive network, Luc is the ideal person to create a unified portfolio and combine the expertise within the various business units.
“There are many parties in the market that are jealous of us.”, Luc Janvier knows. “The expertise we have, the experience we bring together, is unseen in our market. But competition is coming. Our answer is our team, our experts. A team of experts who enjoy the trust of the largest manufacturers of blinds worldwide by continuously developing high-quality blinds fabrics.”
In the future, there will be a total of about 450 employees working for the renewed Mermet brand, more than half of them (250) in the Belgian branches. The total turnover of the four companies combined will exceed 100 million euros in 2023.
