Walloon chocolate company signs Turkish distribution deal during Belgian trade mission
The Belgian chocolate maker Galler, which was rescued from bankruptcy last month by a Walloon consortium, has signed a distribution agreement with Turkish supermarket chain Migros during the Belgian trade mission to Istanbul.
The company is being relaunched under the name Maison Galler after a consortium of Walloon shareholders, including CEO Sébastien Desclée, stepped in to save the business. The restructuring nevertheless comes at a high cost, with 70 of the company’s 170 jobs set to disappear.
“The recovery is going well overall, but we remain vigilant due to the tense market situation,” Desclée said. “We thank customers and suppliers, because so far everyone has been served well as they should be, and sales continue. The employees are showing remarkable resilience.”
Cautious international expansion
Belgium remains Maison Galler’s core market, accounting for nearly 80 per cent of sales. The agreement with Migros marks a first step towards renewed international expansion following the restructuring.
According to Desclée, the Walloon export agency AWEX played a key role in securing the deal during the economic mission. “Awex has played a fantastic role in this matter. And the fact that the Queen is with us during this mission opens doors,” he said.
In the medium term, however, Maison Galler intends to prioritise stabilising turnover in Belgium, particularly in Flanders, before looking further abroad. Only afterwards does the company plan to target neighbouring countries and, at a later stage, markets such as the United States and Japan.
© BELGA PHOTO ALINE BRUGMANS
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