Knowledge sharing, synergies and a stronger customer offering

The customer always comes first for Vegro, the Dutch supplier of mobility and rehab products. As part of Asker, the company has discovered that they can keep their strong culture and customer focus, while expanding their offering and developing their business activities.

Else Reitsma and Margriet Verburg are the Managing Directors of Vegro, one of the largest suppliers of medical mobility and rehab equipment in the Netherlands.

The company sells and leases products to private individuals, nursing homes and home care providers all over the country. Vegro has a large logistics network including physical service centres called ‘zorgwinkels’ that distribute the medical aids. Vegro serves 150,000 customers every year.

When Vegro joined Asker in February 2024, it was the end of a long process that had started when the previous owner and CEO , René Kamerbeek, decided to sell the company after almost 25 years. He had already appointed Else and Margriet, who had both been in the company for more than ten years, to the management team alongside himself. But Vegro also needed a new owner.

Retaining the company’s identity and culture was key

“When we met Asker it felt like a good match. Vegro has long been a family-owned company and this is an important part of our culture. We felt confident that we would be able to retain our identity, and that our employees would still feel at home, even as part of a larger group”, says Margriet.

Unlike Asker, other potential purchasers did not focus on the healthcare sector and did not offer a network of sister companies with similar experiences and challenges. An opportunity to share knowledge and support each other within the Group was one of the main reasons that Vegro chose to become part of Asker.

A unique customer offering

IT security and HR are some of the areas where Vegro has gained more know-how since joining the Group, but the company is also exploring the possibilities of commercial collaboration.

“There are many business opportunities and synergies in sight. We are collaborating closely with our sister companies here in the Netherlands and also in Denmark. Together we can present a wider range and a unique offering to our customers, which is going to be very difficult for our competitors to match”, says Else.

Rising costs mean more home care

In the Netherlands and across Europe the healthcare sector is being affected by demographic changes, including a growing proportion of elderly people. With limited societal resources, healthcare needs to be more efficiently used if it is to continue to provide quality care in the future.

To keep healthcare cost down, the number of patients receiving care at home is going up. This means that the demand for the mobility and rehab products that Vegro supplies is growing.

To meet this demand, and to take responsibility for keeping costs down, Vegro constantly strives to improve its business and its offerings and make them more efficient. As an example, the company uses digital solutions for simple and repetitive tasks that customers can solve online.

Personal service always a priority

Vegro’s empathetic and reliable personal service will always be the company’s foremost competitive advantage, Margriet promises.

“Listening carefully to the person before us is part of our DNA. It’s not just something we say, it is confirmed in the feedback we get from customers. Our competent and considerate staff are the reason that our customers trust us and remain loyal.”