"Bol offers access to consumers that Damart could not reach yet."

What made the Benelux a logical step in your international expansion?

Damart is an iconic brand from Northern France, founded in Roubaix. We already had a legal entity and physical stores in Belgium, making expansion there a logical step. Furthermore, the brand performs very well there. The Netherlands naturally followed: Dutch consumers have strong purchasing power, and thanks to the proximity of our logistics center, we can offer attractive shipping costs. Our ambition is European, so our neighbouring countries were the first markets we wanted to enter.

Why did you choose bol?

Bol was an obvious choice and was among the first marketplaces Damart became active on. It is the largest horizontal marketplace in Belgium, comparable to Amazon but on a smaller scale. Our goal was to reach new consumers outside our existing customer base and at the same time test the potential of marketplaces in Belgium. Once we were active on bol Belgium, expanding to bol Netherlands proved simple. You might as well use both markets at the same time.

What role has bol played in building trust with Dutch and Belgian customers?

Bol is a leading brand in Belgium.

What do you think is the biggest strength of bol?

The interface is clear and very complete: stock management, customer reviews, financial insights, and analytics of top-performing items and returns. The advertising options are also particularly extensive. I can select very specific keywords and adjust my bids based on competitor activity. Additionally, for fashion, our return rate on bol is around 15%, whereas on other platforms it can reach up to 30 to 35%.

What surprised you most after starting on bol?

The number of features available. I'm still discovering options that I haven't fully used yet. Another pleasant surprise: bol has started translating the back office into English. That makes daily management from France a lot easier.

What is the main best practice you have learned so far?

Strictly adhere to the SLAs and monitor delivery times very carefully. That is one point where you cannot make compromises.

What challenges did you face during the startup phase?

The performance requirements were a major challenge. Everything related to SLAs and the quality score must be closely monitored. It is also important to stay alert to mandatory content within the textile sector. This must comply with both legal requirements and marketplace guidelines. Some terms are not allowed and are not always automatically detected in product feeds. This taught us to carefully manage our feeds and continuously monitor these indicators.

What results have you achieved so far?

We are satisfied. Bol is growing for us year after year, which is very positive because sustained growth remains a real challenge. In financial year 2025/2026, we achieved our budget targets and even achieved better results than the previous year, both in Belgium and in the Netherlands.

What would you say to other French partners who want to expand to the Benelux?

Bol is an excellent marketplace to start with. It is the benchmark platform in Belgium and offers access to new consumers. The launch goes relatively smoothly and the support is strong: the support department responds quickly, and for advertising we have a dedicated contact person who really helps with the strategy.

If there is one platform you should use to enter the Belgian market, it's bol. And as soon as you are active on bol Belgium, the step to the Netherlands is very simple and offers great growth opportunities.