Umbrosa: ‘We want to double our turnover within four years.’

From London to Dubai and New York to Melbourne, the parasols produced by Roeselare-based design company Umbrosa are highly sought after throughout the world. Christophe Haemers' company specialises in producing high-quality shade solutions bearing the ‘Made in Belgium’ hallmark. The ambitious businessman is looking to increase growth significantly in the US and Middle East in the coming years.

Until 2005, Umbrosa was a classic aluminium processing workshop. That was the year that Christophe Haemers joined the company: ‘We were a supplier to the tent and marquee industry. But I saw potential in one of the parasol systems we had in the product range. By focusing on product development and production of exclusive designer parasols, we have gained a position among the world's top companies in that niche.’

Today, the manufacturing business is fully integrated. ‘We have four in-house product developers who design new collections, sometimes working in collaboration with renowned designers such as Dirk Wynants or Karim Rashid. Then our production team goes to work making the parasol fabrics and the frame is assembled in our workshop from castings made from plastic, stainless steel or aluminium. Preparation for shipping is also done in-house.

Because Umbrosa resolutely opts for high-quality materials, the products last a long time. ‘Our parasols and shade solutions are therefore sustainable; but that comes at a price’, Haemers readily admits. ‘We sell our products to private customers wanting to invest in good design, as well as to the hospitality sector, such as hotels, resorts and country clubs. The clean design and quality of our products means our collections have worldwide appeal.’

Currently, Umbrosa generates 60% of its sales in Europe, 25% in the US and 15% elsewhere in the world. ‘In the US especially, there is still great potential because you have a large group of high net-worth individuals there and because of the highly developed American hospitality sector’, the CEO says. ‘We’ve been operating there with a subsidiary since 2022; it has its own team and a local distribution centre in Houston. That is the best way to address the US market. ‘A first attempt to conquer the US a few years ago, through a joint venture, failed miserably. ‘We turned out not to be on the same wavelength with our then business partner. Looking back, a joint venture wasn’t the right choice. But internationalisation is always a process of trial and error.

Now we try to be very focused on specific markets, such as the US, Australia and the Middle East. By further professionalising our exports, we are aiming to double our turnover in the next four years.’

To facilitate its international growth, Umbrosa can count on the support of the KBC Commercial Banking network. Christophe Haemers: ‘When we wanted to set up our own operation in the US, KBC turned out to be the best option. With the support of their local team in New York, we were able to quickly set up the subsidiary, finance our local stock and set up a payments system for US customers. The mix of Flemish people who know our way of doing business, and Americans who know the local business and network, was a great asset for us.’

‘In Belgium, we are the benchmark for corporate banking. Our Belgian customers are active abroad, so we follow them abroad to give them maximum support there, adds Jo Vander Stuyft, General Manager of KBC Bank USA. ‘For Umbrosa, we helped them with the launch of their operations, payments system and inventory financing.
For other customers, we sometimes also arrange the financing for a warehouse or production lines, for example, based on a local guarantee in the US. As our customers grow internationally, they can rely on their Belgian KBC relationship manager and our local KBC branches abroad to get all their banking needs taken care of.’