Barely three weeks after entrepreneur Gerrit den Otter purchased the 30-hectare site of the bankrupt bus manufacturer Van Hool, he has already resold the land.
The new owner is the Antwerp-based construction group Mourik. The purchase price was not disclosed, although, according to some sources, the land was reportedly sold “at a profit.”
Biddit
The Van Hool family had purchased the site with a view to future expansion of activities, but those plans were never realized. In April, 2024, the Koningshooikt-based bus manufacturer went bankrupt.
Van Hool’s bankruptcy trustees subsequently decided to sell the vacant land adjacent to the company on the bidding website Biddit in mid-June.
Gerrit den Otter, a Dutch dealer in trucks, trailers, and cranes, submitted the highest bid – 21,5 million euros – and became the new owner of the site. He wanted to develop the plot of land quickly and possibly subdivide it, but he had no plans for it himself.
Flemish government
The Flemish government also submitted a bid for the land because it wants to keep control over rare, large, contiguous industrial sites.
“Flanders wants to safeguard such lands for the further development of industrial production,” explained Prime Minister Matthias Diependaele at the time. Diependale wanted to prevent the land from falling into the hands of speculators or being subdivided.
In the meantime, he has already resold the site to NV Mourik, a subsidiary of the Dutch Mourik group – a multinational specializing in complex infrastructure and industrial construction projects – founded in 1933.
Mourik group
Mourik operates in various European countries and Colombia, employs 2,200 people worldwide, and generated a turnover of €781 million last year. Mourik has been active in Antwerp since 1974, and its Belgian subsidiary employs 350 people.
Mourik worked on projects including the Ineos ethane cracker in the Port of Antwerp, was responsible for the basement construction of the luxury Botanic Sanctuary hotel, and has carried out nuclear decommissioning and remediation work in Dessel and Ghent.
‘Strategic investment’
Ronny Bertels, Managing Director of Mourik in Belgium, is aware of the site’s strategic value. “Flanders has a great need for high-quality industrial space. That is why it is our ambition to develop the site and restore its economic significance.”
Initial reactions are positive. The new owner’s serious profile increases the likelihood that development of the site will get underway quickly.
In a press release, Mourik describes the acquisition as a “strategic investment.” Mourik intends to develop the site and restore its economic significance, though the precise nature of the development has not yet been determined.
