Taste
In conversation with Frank Bogaers
Borek changed from an importer into a unique brand that embraces the outdoors in all its glory: “That ultimate feeling of enjoyment and freedom: it is reflected in our parasols and outdoor furniture.” MASTERS talked to CEO Frank Bogaers.
Photography John van Helvert
Text Bart-Jan Brouwer
Pioneer
“As a helmsman on the long sea, my father used to see the whole world. When he wanted children, he no longer wanted to spend two months at sea and two weeks at home. And so he stopped. In 1977 he founded Borek, an importer of parasols. As a little boy I sometimes accompanied him to work. And when we went on holiday to Italy, we always stopped at the factory there first. So I came into contact with parasols early on. I started the business in 1988, when I was nineteen. I actually wanted to become a footballer – I played for Willem II –, but my father needed me. I immediately went full throttle, worked six days a week and learned the different facets of the company as I went along. My father was truly a pioneer in the field of parasols. He was the first in the country to import wooden and free-hanging parasols and sell them to garden centers and camping shops. The longer I worked in the company, I developed my own vision: I wanted to get rid of imports and position Borek (a derivative of Bogaers & ReKreatie) more as a brand. I started talking to designers such as Marcel Wolterinck, Remy Meijers and Eric Kuster and started producing furniture and parasols. Nice to sit at the table with guys like that. Their first priority is a beautiful design, I paid particular attention to comfort - because a chair can look beautiful and yet not be comfortable. This is how Borek changed from an importer into a unique brand that embraces the outdoors in all its glory. That ultimate feeling of enjoyment and freedom: it is reflected in our parasols and outdoor furniture. Several suppliers are involved in the creation of our products: the fabrics come from Belgium, the wickerwork from Indonesia and we have the cushions made elsewhere in the Netherlands. Our policy is to do as much as possible with as few suppliers as possible, so that you are important to each other.”
Highest segment
“When I first started, there were no garden furniture stores, only garden centers. We have chosen to target the highest segment with Borek. We also started focusing on the project market. We also supply to hotels and restaurants, including Huis ter Duin, Amstel Hotel and Ron Blaauw. The nice thing about that is that it cuts both ways. Fifteen years ago we supplied furniture to Huis ter Duin. Despite the conditions on the coast – wind and salt – they are still there. That's good advertising. Another example is the collaboration with Moët Hennessy. Every year, sales director Bob Bron bought a hundred parasols in China, which he had printed and gave away to customers such as Catch by Simonis and Bloomingdale. Only those parasols were broken within three months. And so he knocked on my door. Now we arrange that for him. Our parasols may be three times as expensive, but they are indestructible. Moreover, we take care of everything completely: we install the parasols in the spring, pick them up again in the autumn and take the cloths to the dry cleaner. We have been doing that for ten years now. Through such projects you also come to the attention of consumers, which ultimately leads to more demand from our dealers. Borek supplies to stores, but also has three pilot stores. Bogarden (Bogaers Garden) is our pilot store in Oisterwijk for private individuals and stylists and is located in the same building where we have our retail showroom. Our brands are represented in the Nidum in Grave, the former Arsenal of Jan des Bouvrie. And finally, we have 1.200 square meters at Van der Donk interior in Gorinchem, also a family business. They sell furniture for indoors. I really believe in 'from the inside out and from the outside in'. When people decorate their home beautifully on the inside, they want to extend that trend outside.”
“We have chosen to target the highest segment with Borek”
Holiday feeling
“In addition to Borek, we now have two more brands. Max & Luuk was founded in 2013, named after those two boys of ours. Max is now 22, Luuk 18. I saw that there was a need for a brand that was a little more accessible, that was positioned just below Borek. It has become a very nice brand, very suitable for second homes: it contains a lot of wood and rope, it gives a bit of a holiday feeling. In 2019, together with Nico Teurling, we founded the third brand, YOI Furniture. Yoi means 'good' in Japanese. This really puts us in the middle segment. I really enjoy being able to serve a larger target group in this way, even though this segment is full of competition. We do not participate in discounts and cannot be found on every street corner, but have opted for selective, good dealers. YOI garden furniture is designed with the principle 'Inspired by Relaxation' in mind. Comfortable European designs with a touch of oriental mysticism. And you know what's so nice? These three brands can also be easily combined. We have furnished the Founders Lounge of Circuit Zandvoort. Initially, director Robert van Overdijk said: 'I have Borek in my garden. That's way too expensive for us.' Ultimately we delivered 80 percent YOI, 15 percent Max & Luuk and 5 percent Borek. Will Max and Luuk join the family business? I think it is especially important that they develop themselves first. Then they have to want it and be able to do it. I leave them free to make their choice.”
Trends
“We expect many round shapes as trends for the coming year. Oval, large gestures. In a lighter color. For example, a large oval table with a Dekton top, which consists of a combination of glass, minerals and quartz. Scratch-resistant, low-maintenance and does not discolour. We supplied such a terrace to Noble Kitchen on the Bernardus golf course in Cromvoirt. It has been there for five years and remains beautiful. We make the bases ourselves and have the tops made in Spain. Bronze is a color on the rise. We always think brown is beautiful, but somehow that color is not always accepted for the garden. Bronze yes. Another trend: high dining, eat at a height of 95 cm. That is twenty centimeters higher than the normal dining level and lower than bar height (110 cm). It came over from America. Residents of luxury penthouses there wanted to be able to look over the balustrade to enjoy the view, hence a slightly higher seating position. We also see that more and more combinations are being made, it does not all have to be the same. Not only chairs, but also an ottoman, for example. And different materials. Finally, as I said, you see that people are further developing their furniture from the inside out. A garden is an extension of your home. Where do I hope to be in five years? I'm fifty-five now. I hope that the company can do without me in five years. So my task in the near future is to make myself miserable.”
