Morres in Hulst has been a household name throughout the Netherlands and Flanders for several generations. The company has been around for 115 years and is still as vibrant and creative as it was in the beginning.
Unique exhibition
Anyone who comes to Morres between March 30 and May 20 can discover a unique retrospective exhibition in the central part of the store. After the first successful collaboration between the Verbeke Foundation in Kemzeke and Morres in Flanders in 2021, the idea of a retrospective exhibition on the occasion of Morres’ 115th birthday was born this year. Using a timeline, visitors receive a fascinating overview, not only of the Morres history but also of a number of social changes that have had an impact on furniture and interior design history.
The exhibition was created in close collaboration with Geert Verbeke of the Verbeke Foundation. Geert helped search for suitable partners to find the vintage furniture that catapults visitors to the exhibition back in time. In addition, a number of creations from the Verbeke Foundation will also be included in the exhibition.
History in phases: how and where did it all start?
In 1909, Fré Morres founded his own furniture workshop in the center of Hulst, almost in the same place where his grandson Paul Morres today runs a leisure center with his wife Colette: De Koning van England. In 1918, a larger store was opened on the Vismarkt and later the Furniture Factory HF Morres was opened in the Bontehondstraat with one of the first electric furniture makers, a unique event. The furniture is produced from A to Z by local craftsmen and home furnishings will also be added later.
Fré has two sons: Jo and Antoine, who both joined the business in the 1950s. Jo turns out to be a strong organizational talent, Antoine turns out to be the creative jack-of-all-trades who will design and produce a large part of the furniture collection himself. This strong team will form the basis of the expansion of the Morres furniture store: on August 29, 1967, the construction of the offices and warehouses on the Industrieweg starts because the existing location can no longer keep up with growth. At the end of the 1960s, offices and the warehouse moved from the city center of Hulst to the industrial estate where Morres is still located today. In the early 1970s, a first showroom was built next to the previously built offices and warehouses. The expansion of the showroom started in 1993 and the second part was opened in 1995.
Flemish people to Morres
The border town of Hulst has long been popular with Flemish people who smuggle butter or cut ‘couponnekes’… If the city center of Hulst also remains open on Sundays from 1963, Hulst becomes even more of a tourist attraction for the Flemish public and Morres comes even more into the spotlight. interest, which only stimulates the growth of the iconic furniture store. July 21 (the Belgian national holiday) always remains a highlight with many visitors from Flanders.
Because customers come from far and wide, Morres quickly realized that a little entertainment in the store and an interesting catering offer are a must. In this way, shopping becomes a total experience and a real day out for the consumer. This is also how the slogan ‘Come for a day at Morressen’ came into being.
From own production to purchasing
Times are changing and so is the way people want to furnish their homes. The Morres brothers go along with the trends and switch from own production to purchasing existing collections. They continue to focus on the prevailing taste in the Netherlands and Flanders. They have mastered marketing: an advertisement with a discount voucher is a smashing success and is the basis of the famous Morres catalogue. As a true mail order pioneer, Morres has grown the originally thin book into a thick catalog that is not only a household name, but through which more and more customers find their way to Hulst. Morres is also one of the first home furnishing stores with its own website, launched in 1999: www.morres.com. Online shopping was started in 2002, the webshop is now a full-fledged store and the updated website is a source of home inspiration for the customer.
The third generation
The 3rd generation of Morressers is also gradually coming on board. This at a time of major upheavals in society, but also in the furniture and home furnishings industry. In particular, there is a proliferation of residential boulevards, Ikea becomes an established concept, there are Sunday openings everywhere, banking secrecy is abolished in 2002 and in 2006 an entrepreneur is no longer allowed to exercise a private banking function. In other words: Morres’ strong assets in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s were overtaken one by one. Morres had to adapt again during that period and ultimately the conclusion was that becoming part of a larger company was the best option for Morres’ future. Since 2009, the home furnishings store has been part of De Mandemakers Group, allowing Morres to benefit from all the synergy benefits of the group while retaining its own Morres DNA.
The power today
What distinguishes Morres from the others today? Traditional Zeeland-Flemish hospitality is seamlessly linked to the progressive realization that Morres continues to see itself as a window on society. Always from a creative point of view, so that the company does not just sell furniture and decorations, but above all a lot of living pleasure. Because a day in Morressen is entertainment, browsing, discovering and, above all, getting inspired in a hospitable environment. For singles, students, newly living alone, for families, for the whole family, for young and old! Nowadays such a concept is called a Destination Store. This stands for a unique combination of Retail, Leisure and Hospitality. Morres has innovated on those 3 strong core values.
Rock-solid conditions
To give customers that typical Morres inspiration, a lot of attention is paid to styling and visual merchandising in Hulst. In addition, service is an indispensable Morres factor: the 90-day sleep guarantee, 30-day seating guarantee and the lowest price guarantee remain strong marketing values. Service with a smile is Morres’ trademark because whoever buys from us is actually buying a gift for themselves! And that brings the home furnishings store in Hulst to the anniversary slogan: “You live a better life together!”. For 115 years.
More information:
Morres
Industrial estate Tol
Industrieweg 2
4561 GH Hulst
www.morres.nl
Tags: distinguishes #115yearold Morres today
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