DSHS_Magazine_2022
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From humble beginnings to a must see ‘attraction’<br />
Emmers Equestrian<br />
Nearly forty years ago Chris Emmers joined the family business on the ‘Mill street’ in the Belgian town of Hamont-<br />
Achel. Her parents Jos and Liza owned an agricultural feed business and then eighteen-year-old Chris joined the team<br />
bright eyed and bushy tailed. Fast forward almost four decades and we see the same energy reflected in her daughter<br />
Lisa who passionately tells us about the growth and challenges the reknowned store faces. An equestrian heaven that<br />
she runs together with her parents, whilst her grandmother ‘Moeke’ still proudly looks on from the sidelines.<br />
Upon arrival we get the same, familiar greeting everyone<br />
gets when they enter Emmers Equestrian. Whether you<br />
are a regular or a first-time visitor the crew always has<br />
a warm welcome with a big smile in store! After a quick<br />
photo-opportunity with Dirk, Lisa and Chris, we grab a<br />
seat in the coffee corner of the Hamont-Achel store and<br />
ask Lisa about the working title for the article. “Emmers<br />
can be described as a must-visit theme park for<br />
equestrians”… Like when you tour the Paris region, the<br />
Eiffel tower is on the itinerary just like Disneyland.<br />
Unrivalled inventory<br />
Lisa smiles: “ I’ve never heard that<br />
said but it is a nice analogy.<br />
We often see foreign visitors<br />
that have come to Belgium<br />
or the Netherlands or<br />
surrounding countries<br />
that plan time to try<br />
horses and also visit<br />
our store. We’ve even<br />
had an occasion where<br />
a group of people from<br />
the middle east who<br />
first came to our store<br />
to literally buy anything<br />
and everything they<br />
needed to keep and ride<br />
horses. Only afterwards did<br />
they proceed to actually go<br />
and buy horses. That is the strength of our stores, we<br />
can basically supply anything in big or small quantities.”<br />
And Lisa is right, from small gifts for young pony riders<br />
to top-exclusive customized riding boots and helmets to<br />
the latest fashion and new inventions, the inventory of<br />
Emmers is unrivalled.<br />
Ever growing family business<br />
“My mother, an avid rider back in the day, could have<br />
never foreseen the feed business would grow into this.<br />
All the changes the company went through are really a<br />
story of its own. The feed business grew into a (farm)<br />
pets, aquatic & gardening center in 1987 with a special<br />
focus on equestrian supplies. Five years on my dad,<br />
who is also from an entrepreneurial family, joined the<br />
company as well, so it would continue to be a family<br />
business. Ten years on the pet & gardening center was<br />
sold and the equestrian part of the business continued<br />
as Emmers Equestrian. Since then, we’ve moved<br />
locations again because the store kept growing and we<br />
opened two stores in new locations as well: Sentower<br />
Park in Oudsbergen, Belgium and next to Peelbergen<br />
Equestrian Centre in Kronenberg, the Netherlands.”<br />
Multiple generations<br />
In 2018, when Lisa turned 23, she decided to also<br />
join the business. “That was against all odds really.<br />
I am not a rider and although I really like the sport<br />
and everything that comes with it, I am not a horsey<br />
girl. I got my Bachelor’s degree in China Studies<br />
Chris joins<br />
the family business<br />
Pet & garden centre is sold<br />
and the equestrian business<br />
continues at a new location<br />
1983<br />
1987<br />
Move to a bigger store<br />
2002<br />
2010<br />
Emmers Equestrian moves<br />
to the current store location in Hamont-Achel<br />
50<br />
Molenstraat<br />
Emmers - Boonen<br />
1983<br />
14 <strong>DSHS</strong> | The <strong>2022</strong> edition<br />
DUTCHSPORTHORSESALES.COM
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