Trademart Brussels is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, half a century during which brands and retailers have come together under one roof. What began as a revolutionary buying concept has grown into Europe's largest B2B platform, where fashion, interior design and lifestyle converge. CEO Guy Stevens looks back with pride, but even more importantly, he looks ahead: "This anniversary doesn't feel like a final destination, but a stopover on our journey. We continue to invest in experience, comfort and innovation, because the power of meeting, both physically and digitally, remains essential."
"Fifty years of entrepreneurship, collaboration and bold ambition," says Guy Stevens. "I'm especially proud of the community we've built: for half a century we've been connecting brands and retailers, with Trademart as the crossroads. The fact that it remains a unique concept, multiple sectors under one roof, underscores our continued relevance.
This anniversary is not an end point, but a milestone along the way. We continue to invest in what works, like our 200,000 m² of showroom space, and we innovate where needed: comfort, service and digital tools. The best compliment comes from visitors who return after years and say: 'Wow… what a change!'"
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European reference point
At its inception, Trademart was one of the first permanent buying centres in Europe, inspired by the American model introduced by its Dallas-based shareholder Crow. "Trademart helped shape Belgian and European retail," Stevens explains. "For many brands, it was often the first step towards international expansion, and for retailers it offered an efficient and inspiring way to build their collections.
What still makes us unique today is the combination of commercial opportunities and physical proximity: within a 200-kilometer radius of Brussels, we attract more than 50,000 professional buyers. Anyone looking to grow their sales will quite literally find their audience here."
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Home & Living
Besides fashion, Home & Living constitutes one of the strongest segments within Trademart. "It includes decoration by collection, decoration in cash & carry, kitchen & dining and design & gifts," says Stevens. "The evolution is clear: from product-driven to experience-driven, with storytelling and sustainability as fixed components.
We support this with inspiration zones, styling presentations and themed events. Among other things, we recently revamped our Kitchen & Dining department and are strengthening hospitality so that the experience carries the product even better."
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Cooperation TICA
The operation of the cash & carry section Home & Living &Go was recently transferred to TICA. "That decision fits perfectly into our long-term strategy," says Stevens. "Trademart focuses on connecting - brands and professional buyers - and less on the transactional.
We successfully set up Home & Living &Go ourselves to prove its potential, but the core operation of such a cash-and-carry concept is closer to TICA's expertise. Together, we now offer the best of both worlds: direct purchase as well as showroom-driven collaboration; complementary and future-proof."
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Physical and digital
Trademart's digital expansion is deliberately proceeding step by step. "Technology does not replace experience, it enhances it," says Stevens. "We consciously choose phygital: online discovery and efficiency as an extension of what happens in the showrooms.
With Trademart Digital and the MyTrademart app, we help visitors discover, plan and follow up. In the coming period, we will expand with integrated tools that allow appointments and collections to remain visible outside opening hours, with better navigation and data exchange."
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Interior professionals
The way professionals shop is changing rapidly. "We see project-based working, demand for authentic and sustainable collections, and more need for curation and time-saving," Stevens explains. "Therefore, we are refining our segmentation and more inspiration is coming.
For the project market, we are launching the Brussels Interior Lab next year: a new concept in which service - advice, selection, project coordination - will become an important component alongside supply."
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Sustainability
Sustainable business is not a trend for Trademart, but a strategic choice. "We are working on our own footprint, including renewal of energy installations and circular furnishing," says Stevens. "In addition, we make sustainable choices by brands more visible to buyers.
We are helping prepare for the Digital Product Passport (DPP) and see it as an opportunity to accelerate transparency. Our goal is to help retailers buy more consciously, with clear information about materials, origins and processes."
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International growth
Brussels is centrally located in Europe, and this is an advantage that Trademart makes full use of. "Our visitors come mainly from Belgium, but the share of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and Germany is rising," Stevens says.
"Brussels as a crossroads remains a huge asset. We are strengthening the international component through collaborations with foreign buying centres and trade organisations. For brands looking to expand their sales market, Trademart offers a unique gateway to more than 50,000 professional buyers within 200 kilometres around Brussels."
Buying centre of the future
How does Stevens see the future of purchasing? "The physical remains the heart, the digital becomes the rhythm around it," he says evocatively. "The procurement centre of the future is a hybrid meeting place where hospitality, events and community come together.
We invest in comfort, better climate infrastructure and thematic buying days that evolve into real trade fairs by product category, with temporary offerings and inspiring programmes that accelerate discovery, filtering and decision-making. With human contact as the trust engine."
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Next ten years
Finally, Stevens looks ahead. "Our goal is to further expand Trademart as the reference point for fashion, interior and lifestyle - with phygital as the standard, data as the accelerator and community as the differentiator. Growth can come from new segments, such as cosmetics, pronta moda and lingerie & swimwear. In addition, we want to develop a new service platform that better supports buyers and sellers on the one hand, and launch a new concept for the project market with the Brussels Interior Lab on the other, in which not only the offer but also the service level is central.
And above all: anyone who wants to grow their business as a brand belongs at Trademart. Whether it's a temporary pop-up, a permanent showroom or a combined office space: this is where you literally meet your customer. My message: stay curious, keep collaborating and keep believing in the power of meeting, physically and digitally."
More information:
Trademart
Atomiumsquare 1
1020 Brussels
+32 (0)2 400 7 400
[email protected]
www.trademart.be
