On Sunday, October 6, 2024, our new showroom was officially opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the charming town of Pittem (Belgium), the new Achielle showroom was officially opened on Sunday, October 6th. Visitors from both home and abroad were present to discover the space where Achielle\u2019s beautiful bicycles are showcased in a unique setting. The official opening, attended by Mayor Fraeyman, marks a new milestone for the family business. After a tour of both the showroom and the workshop, we spoke with Tom, Peter, and Jan about the inspiration behind the design and Achielle\u2019s future vision. Jan<\/strong>: \u00ab\u00a0Our original showroom dates back to when we only made bicycle frames, so it was a very modest space. It had become cluttered over time and was no longer suitable for welcoming customers. We had no proper place to professionally receive people, whether they were customers or suppliers. It was time for a serious upgrade.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n\n Tom<\/strong>: \u00ab\u00a0We mainly needed a beautiful, representative space where we could proudly display our bicycles. This wasn\u2019t a luxury anymore, but really a necessity.\u00a0\u00bb What makes this showroom so different from a traditional bicycle showroom? How does this showroom reflect the values of Achielle?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Peter<\/strong>: \u00ab\u00a0Achielle doesn\u2019t make pure retro bicycles but modern bikes with a classic look. It\u2019s that combination of modern and classic, hip and stately, that we also wanted to bring into the showroom. Everything had to exude a certain grandeur, without it being over the top. And, of course, there are subtle references to Achielle\u2019s roots, like our grandfather Achiel, who laid the foundation for the brand.\u00a0\u00bb What did visitors experience during the tour of the showroom and workshop?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Jan<\/strong>: \u00ab\u00a0In the showroom, visitors could admire our models. But what we\u2019re really most proud of is our workshop. There, we showed how, with love and craftsmanship, we turn a simple tube into a complete bicycle. We demonstrated the combination of traditional craftsmanship with modern technology. Visitors got a real behind-the-scenes look and saw how we combine series production with handmade custom work.\u00a0\u00bb Peter, how was it to design the showroom?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Peter<\/strong>: \u00ab\u00a0It was a dream to carry out this project. I\u2019ve always had a passion for the Roaring Twenties, and this gave me the chance to work with it. It felt a bit like designing my own man-cave! But what I also really appreciated was the collaboration with my wife Evelien. She understood exactly where I wanted to go and gave me the necessary feedback to steer everything in the right direction. Jan<\/strong>: \u00ab\u00a0For me, it was an incredible experience to complete such a project from start to finish ourselves. We handled everything with our own team, from putting up new walls and installing a false ceiling to the lighting and painting. We literally placed every board, screw, and lamp ourselves. This not only gave us great satisfaction, but it also reinforces that genuine craftsmanship feeling that we at Achielle are so proud of. It was a nice challenge to do something other than building bikes, but with the same care and attention to detail. The team joined in enthusiastically, which created a great atmosphere.\u00a0\u00bb How important is it for you to welcome dealers and customers here?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Tom<\/strong>: \u00ab\u00a0Our dealers are crucial to Achielle\u2019s success. They provide service close to the end customer and give us a broader platform. We can now proudly welcome them to this showroom and show them what makes Achielle unique. But it\u2019s also special for Achiellists, our loyal customers, to see where their bike comes from and how it\u2019s handmade.\u00a0\u00bb Tom, you\u2019ve emphasized that the showroom won\u2019t be used for direct sales. Can you explain that? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n Tom: \u00ab\u00a0Absolutely. It\u2019s not our intention to sell directly from the showroom. Our dealers play an essential role in our success. They ensure that customers receive the right service, close to home. By working with dealers, we have a broader platform and can better serve the customer. We remain loyal to that model, so selling directly from our workshop to end customers is not on the agenda. What are Achielle\u2019s future plans now that the showroom is open?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Peter<\/strong>: \u00ab\u00a0The bicycle market is currently under pressure; no one can deny that. But we remain grounded. We have a strong range, and although there are no major changes in the works, we continue to listen to our customers and dealers. Our Jean Longtail remains a popular choice, and we will certainly develop new options for that model. We stay true to our West Flemish down-to-earth mentality and continue step by step.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n\n Closing<\/strong>: The following articles were published in connection with the opening of the new Achielle Showroom: On Sunday, October 6, 2024, our new showroom was officially opened.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":20577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2831],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-classifiee"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/achielle.be\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/achielle.be\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/achielle.be\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/achielle.be\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/achielle.be\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20578"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/achielle.be\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20579,"href":"https:\/\/achielle.be\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20578\/revisions\/20579"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/achielle.be\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/achielle.be\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/achielle.be\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/achielle.be\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}