History of Marchandise S.A.
1958 - In the beginning ...
Ets. DEVILLE was founded in 1958 by Mr & Mrs Emile DEVILLE.
The company quickly established itself as the official distributor for the Hesbaye and Condroz regions of "INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER" agricultural tractors, which have since become "CASE IH".
In 1968, the company also began distributing "MANITOU" machines, the world leader in rough-terrain handling equipment, making it the oldest MANITOU dealer in Belgium.
1980 - The second generation …
In the 1980s, Michel & Philippe DEVILLE took over the business.
They drew on the experience of their parents and the dynamism of their youth to further enhance a company whose commercial correctness and stability are the best guarantees for customers.
In the 1990s, the company began to market earthmoving and handling machines from CASE, THOMAS and TOYOTA.
Since then, the company has diversified its activities to include public authorities, construction companies, industry and farmers.
1998 - The takeover …
The arrival in 1998 of Mr Ivan MARCHANDISE, who was called upon to take over the company, marked an important new stage in the development of the business. A new company was created, S.P.R.L. DEVILLE MARCHANDISE, from which the material handling, construction site and personnel lifting equipment rental business was launched.
Since 2002, the date of the complete takeover, Mr Ivan Marchandise has been the company's general manager.
2003 - Double-digit growth …
In the years that followed, business growth was particularly strong, with sales tripling in 5 years to €9,650,000 in 2008. This impressive growth was mainly due to the main brands that had contributed to the company's success from the outset: MANITOUand CASE IH &STEYR, as well as to the development of the rental fleet, which in 2008 comprised more than 120 machines.
2007 - Investments …
In 2007, an investment program was carried out at the "historic" OMBRET site, where the company has been operating since its creation:
- installation of an additional 1,600 m² of parking space ;
- renovation and construction of new offices;
- enlargement and modernization of the spare parts storage area;
- acquisition of a second truck for machine transport;
- etc.
2008 - Modernization of the company structure …
In March 2008, with the aim of continuing and consolidating the company's growth, as well as modernizing its structures and organization, a capital increase was carried out with the participation of INVESTSUD and Mr Ivan MARCHANDISE, to which several members of management joined, including Louis BOTSON (Sales Director).
At the same time, the company's legal form and name were changed : S.A. MARCHANDISE.
2009 - The economic crisis …
Despite the effects of the economic and financial crisis, which began to make themselves felt in 2009, our Company managed to consolidate its business over the following 3 to 4 years, with just over 200 machines in its rental fleet in 2013, and a strong team of around twenty employees.
2014/2015 - Investments (bis) and relocation …
However, it became clear that the existing facilities no longer offered either the quality in terms of equipment, or sufficient space in terms of parking and workshop area.
This is why, in order to exploit our enormous growth potential, it was decided to relocate all our activities to the HERMALLE-SOUS-HUY Industrial Park, just a few kilometers from the historic site.
A 14,000 m² plot of land was acquired in 2014, on which a brand new building of around 2,200 m² (offices, showroom and workshops) was erected, into which we moved in May 2015.
2015 to 2018 - Acceleration …
Thanks to this new, modern and high-performance tool, our dynamic and enthusiastic teams have been able in 3 years to significantly increase the volume and level of quality of all services offered to our customers.
In 2018, S.A. MARCHANDISE celebrated:
- The 60th anniversary of DEVILLE / DEVILLE MARCHANDISE / MARCHANDISE S.A.
- 60 years of CASE IH dealership
- 50 years of MANITOU dealership
2019 to 2022
2019 sees the launch of the Marchandise training center. Our aim? To train operators using materials-handling machines in order to increase their safety on site and boost their productivity. Our training center was IPAF certified in 2022. .
2022 saw the end of Case IH & Steyr farm tractor sales within the dealership.
Today, MARCHANDISE is :
- 50 employees ;
- growing sales, rental, training and maintenance activities;
- distribution of the MANITOU, TOYOTA, POTTINGER, GEHL, AVANT TECNO and CASTROL brands;
- a building including offices, showroom, warehouse and workshop with all modern equipment;
- over 600 machines in the rental fleet;
- 6 semi-trailer trucks and 2 small flatbed trucks;
- 8 fully-equipped workshop vans for on-site operations;
- a presence in the agricultural, industrial, construction and public authority sectors;
- a growing business volume of over €25,000,000 by 2022.
- A constantly evolving geographical area
