PromZ Vak 4 · 2025 · English edition

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Merch Essentials wants to revive creativity and customer focus

After years of experience in the industry, Veronique Willems and Joren Barée are joining forces for a new venture: Merch Essentials. With a shared background in merchandise, workwear, and promotional gifts, they’re choosing a fresh approach that emphasizes customization, creativity, and personal service.

With Merch Essentials, Willems and Barée position themselves clearly as an alternative to traditional supplier models with standard catalogs. No “just pick something yourself” method, but a sparring partner who listens, thinks along, and surprises. “We don’t believe in one size fits all,” the duo says. “We don’t start from the product, but from the customer’s story.”

The company’s core values? Service and limitless possibilities. Or in their own words: “We don’t think in limitations, but in solutions.”

Questionable assumptions undermine the credibility of the ASI Research Article

For the third consecutive time, ASI has invested in research on the European market. We ourselves conduct annual research on the Dutch (and now also the Belgian and German) markets. We offered ASI access to our data, but unfortunately, they did not take us up on the offer. Overall, the article (see https://promzvak.nl/nl/newz/) about the research is well put together, as it includes perspectives from key players across various European regions.

The big question, however, is: who is providing the raw data? Because the article draws some truly odd conclusions. For example, it claims that the Netherlands is the smallest country in terms of revenue in Europe, while anyone with a basic understanding of the market knows this simply isn’t true. The Netherlands has a significantly larger number of active distributors, more export activity, and a more mature market compared to several other countries. In our view, the correct ranking of countries with the lowest turnover (bottom-up) would be: 1 Netherlands 2 Sweden 3 Belgium 4 Denmark

In summary, some of the research results are simply inaccurate, and that puts the goal of establishing a solid benchmark further out of reach than ever. That’s a shame. Shall we start sharing knowledge in the future?

Workwear becomes its own category in fashion

Tr e n d f o r e c a s t e r Lidewij Edelkoort presented her vision on the future of colour and fashion during the ‘Modefabriek’ (Fashion Factory) trade show in Amsterdam. One of the most striking trends she identified is that workwear is becoming a categor y in its own right. “Workwear is on the brink of a breakthrough and will grow into a fully-fledged category in fashion,” Edelkoort said. “It’s a trend that could do especially well in the Netherlands because of its dow n - to - ear t h and practical nature.”

Source: fashionunited

Recyco: The (deposit) bag that gets your brand moving – not sitting

What if your next promotion was literally visible on the streets – for months? Reusable bags are the second mostused promotional product in the world – and that’s no coincidence. This year at The Supplierdays, the Recyco Deposit bag will be introduced: not a throwaway gadget, but a smart marketing tool that makes your brand visible in daily life. From shopping streets to bottle return stations, each bag broadcasts your brand – again and again. Read the full story at https:// promzvak.nl/nl/newz/ (in Dutch)