Partyspace takes over Bonga Stretchtents

The corona crisis had a major impact on the events sector and it is also noticeable in the sales of party tents. But that does not stop Louis Thiers and Thomas Coene of Partyspace from doing business. Despite the challenging times, Partyspace has recently taken over the commercial activities of Tentations BVBA, including its brand Bonga Stretchtents.

Louis Thiers & Thomas Coene

The manufacturing company located in Wondelgem has been run by Above & Beyond from Beselare since 1 January 2021. Above & Beyond is specialised in the development and supply of quickly mountable tents, accessories and promotional tools for any type of events. Louis Thiers and Thomas Coene, who took over Above & Beyond at the end of 2019, have completely caught the entrepreneurial bug and, with the takeover of Bonga Stretchtents, they are taking another important step in the internationalisation of their company.


"Thanks to the takeover, we now have the production entirely in our own hands and are able to monitor the production process and the quality of each individual tent even more closely." - Louis Thiers, managing director


"Alexander Masyn (the previous manager and founder of Bonga Stretchtents) wanted to walk a different path and asked us to continue writing the Bonga story. Since we were one of his biggest distributors, this seemed like a logical choice. Of course, the timing could have been better, but since we are convinced that there is still a lot of potential in the stretch tents, we did not hesitate long to take this opportunity with both hands. Thanks to the acquisition, we now have the production entirely in our own hands and are able to monitor the production process and the quality of each individual tent even more closely. Moreover, we can now literally expand our horizons even more easily, because since we have the power in our own hands, we can set up an international network of distributors and rental companies. That is interesting for both Bonga and Above & Beyond", Louis explains.

"Since Bonga is located rather far from Beselare, we thought it would be a good idea to find a local person who could further promote Bonga on our behalf. Quentin Bonte seemed the right person for the job. He knows the ins and outs of the textile sector, and at Cowboy he gathered a lot of experience in business processes and he knows how to develop a great brand", says Thomas. " Meanwhile, we have already doubled the production capacity and we are completely ready to enter the international market with Bonga", he says with confidence.

Focus on the future

Having taken over Above & Beyond in the autumn of 2019, Louis and Thomas were still settling in when the corona crisis immediately threw a spanner in the works. Even though 2020 brought the event sector a lot of damage, Louis and Thomas didn't let it get them down. The takeover of Bonga is part of their growth plans, but it goes much further than that. The corporate vision of Above & Beyond was further sharpened and the focus has recently shifted to expanding the product range and the sales channels. "So we are not only a one-stop-shop for event- and promotional tools for companies, but you will also find a lot of products for a cosy evening in your garden. For example, decorative lights, fire pits and patio heaters. Soon we will also launch a new brand of parasols: Inowa. We have also taken steps on market places such as Bol.com and Amazon is also in sight. And we are busy looking for a suitable location to open a showroom in the Netherlands." In the past year, two new employees were recruited to be able to keep up with the continued growth and Above & Beyond is currently looking for another salesperson to strengthen the team and help build its increasingly international network.

News Compare

 
Your browser is not up to date, therefore some features of this site may not work in your browser. We recommend you to use a newer version Click