'You shouldn't enter like a bull in a china shop': How Willem Wijnen is taking Xandres across the border

When Willem Wijnen took over as CEO of the Belgian fashion brand Xandres in early 2025, he did something new leaders rarely do: he changed nothing. At least, not immediately. He took the helm of an established brand that had been around for over 55 years. It had seen eight consecutive years of revenue growth and boasted a Net Promoter Score of 70, the metric for how likely customers are to recommend a brand.

"When I started as CEO, I first listened carefully. I think it is dangerous to come into a place and try to copy things from your past experiences. In a new company, you must first look respectfully at what has already been achieved and not act like a bull in a china shop, wanting to change everything."

After that initial phase, Xandres opted for a distinctly more active course. The brand discontinued product categories that did not fit its core identity, focused on international growth and developed a new store concept. Xandres is growing rapidly in the Netherlands, Germany is back on the map and profitability is improving. Total revenue increased by 1.2 percent in the last financial year. According to the company, this is the result of a deliberate choice: growth in the Netherlands is compensating for the revenue Xandres intentionally scaled back. With this disciplined, step-by-step growth, the Belgian fashion brand aims to become a European player.

From The Sting to Van de Velde

Wijnen was born in the Netherlands, lives in Ghent, is married and is the father of three daughters. His career has largely been at the intersection of fashion, retail and digital. From 2011 to 2016, he was chief marketing officer at the Dutch fashion chain The Sting, where he led the digital transformation. He then worked for the Italian outerwear and lifestyle brand North Sails Apparel. There, he was initially chief digital officer and from 2017, chief commercial officer, focusing on expansion in Germany. From 2021 to mid-2024, he was chief commercial officer at the Belgian publicly listed lingerie company Van de Velde, owner of brands including PrimaDonna and Marie Jo. He led the sales organisation, retail and digital operations in Europe and North America.

At Xandres, part of the French Damartex Group, he succeeded interim CEO Pieter Van Dyck in January 2025. Van Dyck, as finance director, had been at the helm for six months after Patrick Desrumaux left for a position outside the fashion sector following eight years as CEO. Van Dyck continued to support Wijnen with the handover until the end of February 2025.

First listen, then refine

Wijnen spoke with employees at the head office and visited clients, premium boutiques and its own stores. He also commissioned market research and focus groups. The conclusion was that Xandres did not need to become something new, but rather to become better at what it already was.

"We arrived at our historical strength: timeless elegance with a unique twist and a conscious avoidance of trends," said Wijnen. "A clearly recognisable design, without being overly bold. When a woman wears a Xandres piece, you should be able to see that it is something special. You might think: is that perhaps Xandres? The brand does not need to shout about it." Based on this, the existing strategy was refined, with a greater emphasis on brand, product and store experience.

Cutting back to grow

Focus also meant making cuts. Xandres discontinued shoes and bags. According to Wijnen, this was not an easy decision. These categories required expertise and investments that were not a natural fit for the company.

"We simply were not good enough at it. Of course, you can learn, but we were already quite good at creating beautiful fashion. That is why we placed our focus there," he says. "We lost some revenue as a result, but profitability has improved."

The figures show this. In the 2024-2025 financial year, revenue increased by 5.7 percent to 36.1 million euros, and Xandres recorded a profit for the first time since its acquisition by Damartex. In the 2025-2026 financial year, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 14 percent to 1.6 million euros. Xandres plans to invest heavily in international expansion; a large portion of this will go towards new stores abroad.

Netherlands as a growth engine

The Netherlands is a key market for Xandres' expansion. The brand started there in 2019 with wholesale distribution to premium boutiques and opened its own store in Den Bosch that same year. Stores in The Hague and Maastricht followed in 2025, and in June 2026, the brand opened a fourth store in Laren. A fifth location in Haarlem will be added at the end of October. The principle is to open a new store each season, showcasing the full range and brand experience.

For this, Xandres developed a new store concept, which will be introduced first in Maastricht. "The fifth store in the Netherlands, in Haarlem, will follow. We want to present the brand experience very consistently in our stores as well," explains Wijnen.

Dutch revenue grew by 27 percent in the 2025-2026 financial year. According to Xandres, this is due to the new stores, collaboration with premium multi-brand boutiques and increasing brand awareness.

At the group level, revenue increased by 1.2 percent to 36.6 million euros in the same financial year. Xandres points out that it deliberately scaled back non-strategic revenue during the same period, and that growth in the Netherlands more than compensates for this loss. Its home market of Belgium remains important for the brand. However, Wijnen sees less room for further expansion of the store network there. The next growth step is therefore across the border.

Germany: a new, more targeted approach

That step is Germany. It is not the first time Xandres has entered this market. In 2022, the brand already expanded into Germany through its own webstore, retailers, Zalando and Van Graaf, with actress Veronica Ferres and her daughter Lilly Krug as the faces of the campaign. Xandres then invested heavily in German marketing.

This time, Xandres is opting for a more targeted approach, and Wijnen knows the territory: at North Sails Apparel, the emphasis was also on growth in Germany. From December 1, the brand will launch with a limited number of premium multi-brand boutiques. The collection will be available there in spring 2027, supported by a brand campaign. If this proves successful, its own German stores will follow. When selecting retail partners, the company considers factors such as the presentation of the collection, the training of store staff and the extent to which they engage with styling and customer guidance.

"So we are not aiming for maximum growth speed, but for the right places where we can meet the right consumer and where the partner wants to position the brand well with us," says Wijnen. "We are not looking for someone who just buys a few pieces and hangs them on a rack. We are looking for retailers who want to activate the consumer, provide styling advice and really work with the collection."

Which country will follow is not yet decided. Xandres first wants to monitor how Germany develops over a few seasons. Wijnen mentions Austria and Switzerland as possible next steps. "We are not going to open in eight countries at once. It is truly a one-by-one approach. After proven success, we will take the next step."

A European ambition

In the long term, Xandres is aiming higher. Within ten years, it wants to be a leading premium fashion brand for women in Europe. Wijnen does not mean the largest brand by this. He means a label that is relevant to buyers, retailers and consumers in key European markets, with a combination of its own retail, wholesale and a strong brand experience.

According to him, success depends not primarily on speed, but on perseverance. Growth must go hand in hand with a consistent brand position, healthy profitability and investment in the organisation.

"If in three years we are still executing our strategic focus with such discipline, and that focus is truly embedded throughout the company; if the passion of our people is maintained and we continue to manage our brand consistently with sharp collections, then we will have achieved the most important thing," says Wijnen. "In three years, we will be active in more than three countries. If we succeed in that, I think we will be well on our way."