Van de Velde N.V.

Van de Velde N.V. is a Belgian lingerie group whose roots go back to a corset workshop founded by Achiel and Margaretha Van de Velde in 1919. Headquartered in Schellebelle, part of the municipality of Wichelen, the company developed from a family manufacturing business into an international group focused on premium and luxury lingerie, specialist fitting services, and lingerie retail. Although its corporate identity is associated with Belgium, its commercial activities extend across several European markets, the United Kingdom, the United States, and selected Asian and Middle Eastern markets. The company initially concentrated on corsets. After the Second World War, it broadened its assortment to include bras, tights, and other forms of intimate apparel, while also building export activity in the Netherlands and producing high-end lingerie for private-label customers. A major strategic shift came in 1981 with the creation of Marie Jo, Van de Velde's first principal consumer brand. The group subsequently expanded through brand development and acquisitions, including the German lingerie company PrimaDonna in 1990 and the Spanish lingerie company Eurocorset together with the Andrés Sardá brand in 2008. Van de Velde's principal product brands are Marie Jo, PrimaDonna, and Sarda. These brands address different segments of the premium lingerie market, with collections spanning everyday support, fashion-oriented lingerie, swimwear, and sports-oriented products. Marie Jo L'Aventure, PrimaDonna Twist, PrimaDonna Swim, PrimaDonna Sport, Marie Jo Intense, and Marie Jo Swim represent notable extensions of the group's portfolio. The company designs its products in Belgium, while manufacturing is carried out internationally, particularly in Tunisia and also in China. Retail and fitting expertise are another important part of the group's business model. Van de Velde has owned or operated specialist retail concepts including Rigby & Peller and Lincherie, and has been involved in the development of fitting-led store formats and lingerie-styling services. Its retail expansion included activities in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States, and selected international locations. The company also formed partnerships in China and Hong Kong around the Private Shop retail concept before selling its participation to its partner in 2019. Van de Velde became publicly listed in Brussels in 1997 and marked twenty-five years of stock-market listing in 2022. The company remains associated with the founding family and has retained a strong focus on premium positioning, specialist fit, brand heritage, and distribution through lingerie specialists. Its workforce has included more than 1,500 employees across Belgium, Tunisia, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Finland, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Spain. The business is best understood not as a general industrial manufacturer, but as an international intimate-apparel group combining branded lingerie production with specialist retail and fitting services.

Van de Velde was established in 1919 by Achiel and Margaretha Van de Velde. Its first generation built the business around corset manufacturing, establishing the technical and production base from which the later lingerie group developed. During the period from 1919 to 1945, the company remained principally associated with corsetry. After 1945, the second generation expanded the product range into bras and tights. The company also increased exports to the Netherlands and produced high-end lingerie for private-label customers. This combination of manufacturing expertise, export activity, and premium positioning prepared Van de Velde for the transition from an industrial supplier into a branded lingerie company. The group's first major proprietary brand, Marie Jo, was introduced in 1981. Van de Velde then strengthened its presence in premium lingerie through the acquisition of the German company PrimaDonna in 1990. In 1997, it became a publicly listed company on the Brussels stock exchange. The same year saw the introduction of Marie Jo L'Aventure, extending the Marie Jo brand into a distinct design direction. During the 2000s, Van de Velde pursued a broader international and retail strategy. It acquired a participation in TopForm International in 2001 and opened its first company-operated or owned-and-operated store in 2002. In 2007, the company formed a strategic alliance with the United States multi-brand retailer Intimacy Management LLC and introduced its Lingerie Styling programme. The following year, it launched the Marie Jo Intense sports-lingerie line and acquired Spanish lingerie company Eurocorset and the Andrés Sardá brand. The group continued to extend its portfolio and retail footprint in the next decade. It launched PrimaDonna Twist in 2010, acquired an 85 percent stake in Intimacy USA, and purchased the Dutch LinCHerie retail chain. In 2011, it acquired an 87 percent majority stake in British specialist retailer Rigby & Peller and entered a joint-venture arrangement with Getz Bros. to operate and develop Private Shop in China and Hong Kong. The acquisition of Donker stores in the Netherlands followed in 2012. Product development continued with PrimaDonna Swim in 2013, PrimaDonna Sport in 2017, and Marie Jo Swim in 2018. Retail and brand milestones included Rigby & Peller's seventy-fifth anniversary in 2014, the rebranding of Intimacy stores in the United States under the Rigby & Peller name and visual identity in 2015, and the opening of Rigby & Peller Dubai in Dubai Festival Mall in 2016. Lincherie was recognized by the Dutch GfK awards as a leading lingerie store for a second consecutive year in 2015. In 2014, Intimacy became wholly owned by Van de Velde. In 2019, the group sold its participation in Private Shop in China and Hong Kong to Getz Bros. and celebrated its one-hundredth anniversary. The company continued as a family-associated, publicly traded lingerie group, designing products in Schellebelle while relying on international production, especially in Tunisia and China. In 2022, it commemorated twenty-five years of stock-market listing. Its modern business combines premium lingerie brands, product innovation, specialist fitting, and selected retail operations.

1. 2022Twenty-five years listed

   The company marked twenty-five years as a listed business on Euronext Brussels.

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2. 2019Private Shop participation sold

   Van de Velde sold its participation in Private Shop in China and Hong Kong to Getz Bros.

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3. 2019Centenary

   Van de Velde celebrated one hundred years of operation.

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4. 2018Marie Jo Swim launched

   Marie Jo expanded into swimwear.

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5. 2017PrimaDonna Sport launched

   The group introduced a sports-lingerie extension under PrimaDonna.

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6. 2016Rigby & Peller Dubai opened

   Rigby & Peller opened a store in Dubai Festival Mall.

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7. 2014Intimacy became wholly owned

   Van de Velde completed the move to full ownership of Intimacy.

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8. 2013PrimaDonna Swim launched

   PrimaDonna expanded into swimwear.

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9. 2012Donker stores acquired

   The company acquired Donker stores in the Netherlands.

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10. 2011Rigby & Peller and Private Shop expansion

    Van de Velde acquired a majority stake in Rigby & Peller and agreed a joint venture with Getz Bros. for Private Shop in China and Hong Kong.

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11. 2010Portfolio and retail expansion

    The group launched PrimaDonna Twist, acquired a majority stake in Intimacy USA, and acquired Dutch retailer LinCHerie.

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12. 2008Spanish acquisition and Marie Jo Intense

    Van de Velde launched Marie Jo Intense and acquired Eurocorset and the Andrés Sardá brand in Spain.

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13. 2007US retail alliance and styling programme

    The group formed a strategic alliance with Intimacy Management LLC in the United States and launched a Lingerie Styling programme.

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14. 2001TopForm participation

    Van de Velde took a participation in Hong Kong-listed TopForm International.

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15. 1997Initial public listing

    Van de Velde became listed on the Brussels stock exchange.

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16. 1997Marie Jo L'Aventure launched

    The group introduced Marie Jo L'Aventure as a further expression of the Marie Jo brand.

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17. 1990PrimaDonna acquired

    The company acquired the German lingerie business PrimaDonna.

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18. 1981Marie Jo launched

    Van de Velde introduced Marie Jo, its first major proprietary lingerie brand.

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19. 1945Postwar product expansion

    The second generation broadened the assortment to bras and tights, expanded exports to the Netherlands, and developed private-label production.

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20. 1919Company founded

    Achiel and Margaretha Van de Velde established the company, initially focusing on corset manufacturing.

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Premium and luxury lingerie supported by specialist fit, lingerie styling, European brand heritage, and selective retail distribution.

• Marie JoPremium fashion lingerie1981

  Marie Jo is Van de Velde's flagship premium lingerie brand, launched in 1981. It covers fashion-led bras, briefs, lingerie sets, and related seasonal collections. The brand has been extended through concepts including Marie Jo L'Aventure, Marie Jo Intense, and Marie Jo Swim, allowing it to address distinctive design, activewear, and swimwear needs while retaining a premium positioning.

• PrimaDonnaSupportive premium lingerie

  PrimaDonna is a major premium lingerie brand acquired by Van de Velde in 1990. It is associated with supportive, fit-focused lingerie and collections designed for fuller-bust consumers. Product extensions include PrimaDonna Twist, PrimaDonna Swim, and PrimaDonna Sport, giving the brand a presence in fashion, swimwear, and sports-oriented categories.

• SardaLuxury lingerie

  Sarda, formerly associated with the Spanish Andrés Sardá brand, forms part of Van de Velde's premium and luxury lingerie portfolio. Its identity is rooted in Spanish design heritage and fashion-oriented intimate apparel. The brand broadened the group's geographic and stylistic reach following the acquisition of Eurocorset and Andrés Sardá in 2008.

• Rigby & PellerSpecialist lingerie retail

  Rigby & Peller is a specialist lingerie retail brand focused on premium products, personal fitting, and customer service. Van de Velde acquired a majority stake in the British retailer in 2011. The concept later expanded to the United States through the rebranding of Intimacy stores and to the Middle East with a Dubai location.

• LincherieSpecialist lingerie retail

  Lincherie is a specialist lingerie retail chain in the Netherlands acquired by Van de Velde in 2010. The format emphasizes premium lingerie selection and expert fitting. Its stores formed part of the group's strategy of combining branded product development with direct relationships with specialist lingerie consumers.

• 2007Lingerie Styling programme

  United States

  Van de Velde introduced a lingerie-styling service in connection with its US retail development and alliance with Intimacy Management LLC. The initiative emphasized personal advice and fit rather than treating lingerie as a purely self-service apparel purchase.

  Outcome. The programme reinforced the group's specialist-fitting and service-led retail positioning.

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• 2019Exit from Private Shop ventureM&A

  Van de Velde had operated and developed Private Shop in China and Hong Kong through a joint venture with Getz Bros.

  What changed. The company sold its participation in the venture to Getz Bros.

  Aftermath. Getz Bros. assumed full ownership of the Private Shop participation, while Van de Velde continued to focus on its core lingerie brands and selected retail activities.

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• 2011Majority investment in Rigby & PellerM&A

  The group was extending beyond manufacturing into specialist lingerie retail and fit-based customer service.

  What changed. Van de Velde acquired an 87 percent majority stake in British retailer Rigby & Peller.

  Aftermath. Rigby & Peller became an important retail and fitting platform within the group, later supporting international brand expansion.

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• 2008Acquisition of Eurocorset and Andrés SardáM&A

  Van de Velde pursued international portfolio growth and sought to add Spanish lingerie design and manufacturing capabilities.

  What changed. The group acquired Spanish lingerie company Eurocorset and the Andrés Sardá brand.

  Aftermath. The transaction added Sarda to the group's premium brand portfolio and increased its Spanish presence.

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• 1997Public listing in BrusselsStrategy

  After decades of family-led manufacturing and brand development, Van de Velde pursued access to public capital and a formal listed-company structure.

  What changed. The company listed on the Brussels stock exchange.

  Aftermath. The listing established Van de Velde as a publicly traded Belgian lingerie group; it later became associated with Euronext Brussels.

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• 1990Acquisition of PrimaDonnaM&A

  Van de Velde sought to strengthen its position in premium lingerie through ownership of the German PrimaDonna business.

  What changed. The company acquired PrimaDonna and incorporated the brand into its expanding portfolio.

  Aftermath. PrimaDonna became one of the group's principal lingerie brands and later gained swimwear, sports, and fashion extensions.

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• 2022Van de Velde marks twenty-five years as a listed company

  The group commemorated twenty-five years of trading on the Brussels stock exchange and Euronext Brussels.

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• 2019Van de Velde celebrates its centenary

  The company marked one hundred years since its foundation by Achiel and Margaretha Van de Velde in 1919.

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• 2019Van de Velde sells its participation in Private Shop

  Van de Velde transferred its participation in the Private Shop venture in China and Hong Kong to Getz Bros., its joint-venture partner.

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1. Van de Velde N.V.