SnowWorld: ‘We are ambitious, in terms of both growth and sustainability’
Top skiers who want to train year-round, companies looking for a fun team-building activity and novice winter sports enthusiasts who want to learn to ski or snowboard: they all readily find their way to SnowWorld's indoor ski slopes. SnowWorld is a Dutch business which has rapidly built up a network of slopes in four countries in recent years. Its ambition is to grow further in the coming years and make its operations even more sustainable.
if a quick change of gear is needed, KBC Commercial Banking can do that, too.
Wim Hubrechtsen, CEO of SnowWorld
Almost 30 years ago, Dutch entrepreneur Koos Hendriks built the first indoor ski slope in Zoetermeer, quickly followed by a second facility in Landgraaf. This marked the start of a successful group that now operates in eight locations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France. CEO Wim Hubrechtsen: ‘We are the biggest group of indoor ski slopes in the world. It’s a sector in which there are still lots of companies with just one site, when really you absolutely need economies of scale to stay profitable and be able to invest in things like sustainability.’
SnowWorld outlined an ambitious growth strategy back in 2013. To realise its ambitions, the company floated on the Amsterdam stock exchange. ‘That’s how Alychlo, Marc Coucke's investment fund, bought in. Today, the fund is our largest shareholder and we are no longer listed. Alychlo has really been the engine that has driven our international growth, especially the most recent acquisitions of ski slopes in Belgium, Germany and France.’
Energy and climate-neutral by 2030
Yet the growth trajectory in recent years did not go as planned. ‘The pandemic and the energy crisis resulting from the conflict in Ukraine obviously had a big impact. But that did encourage us to invest further in the future. Thanks to solar panels and long-term contracts, we are already able to meet 80% of our energy needs with renewable energy,’ says the CEO.
Besides international growth, sustainability remains a key strategic focus for SnowWorld. Wim Hubrechtsen: ‘We will continue to make targeted acquisitions in the coming years. We want to grow by expanding our sites into resorts with accommodation and a wide range of outdoor activities. But at the same time, we want to be energy and climate-neutral by 2030. At our Landgraaf site, for example, you will find the world's first all-electric snow groomer. The machine has a battery that enables it to operate autonomously for more than five hours, and gets our slopes ready for use every day.’
KBC, a financial partner and more
To finance its growth, SnowWorld also relies on the banking sector. ‘KBC Commercial Banking has been on board since 2018, as part of a club deal. They listened to our plans and gave their full support. That enabled us to finance our acquisitions and realise our internationalisation plans,’ says Hubrechtsen. ‘What I appreciate about KBC Commercial Banking is that they provide support with an entrepreneurial mindset. They give advice when you need to make decisions. And if a quick change of gear is needed, they can do that, too.’
We were able to offer optimum support to SnowWorld in realising their growth ambitions thanks to our local presence in their new markets.
Linda Admiraal, Head of Commercial Banking KBC Bank Nederland
The CEO also refers to cooperation with the bank regarding sustainability: We invest in a lot of technologies and solutions. We are in close contact with KBC Commercial Banking's Sustainability Manager to see what steps are feasible and what the financing options are. The bank also put us in touch with Encon, a specialist agency which prepares our CO2 balance sheet and also assists us with formulating our ESG roadmap for the coming years.’
Linda Admiraal, Head of Commercial Banking at KBC Bank Netherlands: ‘We were able to offer optimum support to SnowWorld in realising their growth ambitions thanks to our local presence in their new markets. Their dedicated account manager then works as part of one team with the local KBC offices to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Because we believe that companies which put sustainability high on the agenda will be tomorrow's leaders, we put them in contact with our Sustainability Manager. He or she acts as a sounding board, allowing us to offer the appropriate financing in addition to strategic advice.’
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