Balans Group BV.

What Balans Group BV. does

Balans Group BV is a privately held Dutch manufacturer founded in 1990 and headquartered in Helmond, Noord-Brabant, that produces custom-made sportswear, cycling apparel, and corporate clothing under the Balans Bikewear and Balans Sport sub-brands. The company serves Dutch sports clubs, foundations, associations, and corporate clients, producing fully custom team kits as well as standard stock articles personalized with embroidery, screen printing, or transfer branding. Its core technical capability is sublimation printing, in which designs and logos are embedded into the fabric rather than applied on top, combined with in-house pattern and design development, premium Italian fabrics, and components from suppliers including YKK, Dupont, Dry-Clim, Mult-dry, and Polygiene. The company reports a 4-5 week lead time for custom orders versus an 8-week industry standard and ranked first among 21 brands in an independent 2015/2016 test of custom-made cycling clothing.

The business operates a sales-led, direct-to-customer B2B model with no third-party distributors. Customers engage through account managers (Femke van der Horst as Sales Account Manager) and the General Director (Peter van der Horst), supported by free fitting sessions with sample garments in all sizes and a customer order portal for self-managed reorders. Revenue is generated from one-off custom orders with a 35% upfront deposit and balance due within 10 days of delivery, with minimum order quantities starting from a single piece for personalized items. The company is founder/family-owned, with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity, and employs approximately six people across two offices in Helmond and Northern Netherlands.

Name

Balans Group BV.

Legal name

Balans Group BV

Website

https://balansgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Balans Group BV is a Dutch custom-made sportswear and cycling apparel manufacturer founded in 1990, serving Dutch sports clubs, associations, and corporate clients through sublimation printing, in-house design, and a direct sales-led B2B model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Sportswear Manufacturing

NAICS

Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing (3152), Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing (except Contractors) (315250), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (31599)

SIC

Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949), Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAOAEAB

Outerwear & Performance Apparel Cut & Sew

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Textiles, Apparel & Leather Manufacturing/Apparel Manufacturing (Cut & Sew)

SECONDARYIMAOAEAK

Sports Team & Promotional Apparel Cut & Sew (Screenprint/Embroidery-Ready)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Textiles, Apparel & Leather Manufacturing/Apparel Manufacturing (Cut & Sew)

SECONDARYCRAAAAAI

Outerwear & Cold-Weather Apparel Manufacturers

Consumer Products & Retail/Apparel, Footwear & Accessories/Apparel Brands & Manufacturing

Keywords

• Custom sportswear
• Cycling apparel
• Corporate clothing
• Sublimation printing
• Team uniforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Helmond

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Made Sportswear Sales: Custom-made sportswear and cycling clothing produced to client specifications with custom designs, colors, and branding. Revenue from one-time custom orders with 35% deposit upfront and balance due within 10 days of delivery.
2. Standard Stock Articles with Personalization: Standard sportswear articles customized with embroidery, screen printing, or transfer branding. Shorter lead times compared to fully custom products.
3. Business Clothing and PPE: Corporate clothing, footwear, and personal protective equipment (PPE) with company branding.
4. Reorders and Small Quantity Orders: Existing designs can be reordered in small quantities. Company maintains all client data for identical reorders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Balans Group BV designs and manufactures custom-made sportswear and corporate clothing, producing fully customized team kits, cycling apparel, and business clothing with company branding. The company uses sublimation printing technology to embed designs and logos directly into premium Italian fabrics, delivering orders of one piece or more with a standard 4-5 week lead time. It serves sports clubs, associations, foundations, and corporate clients across the Netherlands, with two sub-brands: Balans Bikewear and Balans Sportswear.

Product overview

Balans Group BV operates as a premium custom sportswear and cycling apparel manufacturer with two main sub-brands: Balans Bikewear (cycling-specific apparel) and Balans Sportswear (multi-sport athletic wear). The company produces custom-made sports textile articles using sublimation printing technology with Italian fabrics, serving sports clubs, associations, foundations, and corporate clients. Products can be ordered individually from as little as one piece and are delivered with a standard 4-5 week lead time for custom orders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Balans Bikewear: Cycling apparel collection featuring premium Italian fabrics and custom-made designs in house style.
• Balans Sport

Products and services

• Balans Bikewear Premium custom-made cycling apparel collection offering high-quality Italian fabrics and advanced features such as Polygiene odor control, seamless transitions to silicone grippers, and side zippers. Designed for cycling teams, associations, and individual cyclists requiring custom club kits and racing apparel.
• Balans Sportswear Premium custom-made sportswear collection for various sporting activities (football, handball, volleyball, korfball, and other team sports), featuring Italian fabrics and sublimation printing technology for durable designs that withstand repeated washing. Designed for sports clubs, associations, and foundations.
• Custom-made sportswear production Fully custom-made sports clothing produced to client specifications with custom designs, colors, and branding. Embeds logos into fabric via sublimation, allowing orders starting from 1 piece with a 35% upfront deposit and balance due within 10 days of delivery. Targets sports clubs, associations, and foundations.
• Standard stock articles with personalization Standard sportswear articles customized with embroidery, screen printing, or transfer branding. Offers shorter lead times than fully custom products, including rush orders on request. Designed for customers who want branded apparel without full custom design.
• Business clothing and PPE Corporate clothing, footwear, and personal protective equipment (PPE) with company branding. Delivered to companies and businesses for employee uniforms, safety compliance, and corporate identity representation.
• Reorders and small-quantity repeat orders Service for customers to reorder existing custom designs in small quantities (down to 1 piece). The company retains all client data and designs to enable identical reorders, lowering friction for repeat orders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #1 among 21 custom-made cycling clothing brands in independent test (end 2015/early 2016)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• YKKminorOthersYKK is a supplier of zippers and fastening components used in Balans Group's sportswear and cycling apparel production. YKK is a globally recognized brand known for quality zippers.
• DupontminorOthersDupont supplies high-quality materials and components used in Balans Group's clothing production, including advanced fibers and textile technologies.
• Dry-ClimminorOthersDry-Clim is a fabric technology brand used in Balans sportswear for moisture management and climate regulation in athletic apparel.
• Mult-dryminorOthersMult-dry is a fabric technology used in Balans cycling apparel for quick-drying and moisture-wicking performance.
• PolygieneminorOthersPolygiene provides odor-control technology integrated into Balans cycling apparel to prevent sweat smell in fabrics, maintaining freshness during extended use.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Craft Sportswear: Swedish sports apparel company with broad team sports and running apparel portfolio. Comparable in teamwear customization for sports clubs, but operates at a much larger scale and with broader product range.
• Santini Maglificio Sportivo: Italian cycling apparel manufacturer with broad product portfolio spanning custom team kits, retail lines, and pro-team sponsorships. A larger established incumbent in custom cycling apparel with broader geographic reach than Balans.
• Le Coq Sportif: Established French sportswear brand with team kit programs across football, rugby, and cycling. Broader incumbent with custom teamwear offerings that overlap Balans' sports club customer segment.
• Castelli Cycling: Premium Italian cycling apparel brand with both custom team programs and retail lines. A broader incumbent that competes in the premium custom cycling space while also serving consumer retail channels.

Direct peers

• Stanno: Dutch team sportswear brand offering custom team kits across football, hockey, and other sports. Comparable in geographic focus (Netherlands), team sports vertical, and custom B2B model targeting amateur clubs.
• Kalas Sportswear: Czech custom team sportswear and cycling apparel manufacturer producing sublimated kits for clubs and national teams. Direct competitor in European custom teamwear with B2B club sales model and similar lead time positioning.
• Vermarc: Belgian manufacturer of custom-made cycling and team sportswear serving clubs, teams, and corporate clients. Highly comparable custom sublimation production, European team kit focus, and B2B sales model.
• Bioracer: Belgian custom cycling and team sports apparel manufacturer producing sublimation-printed garments for clubs and teams. Direct competitor in custom cycling kit with similar lead time, MOQ, and B2B club-focused model.

Emerging players

• Pedla: Custom cycling apparel brand offering on-demand sublimation-printed kit with short lead times. Comparable in custom cycling apparel niche with digital-first go-to-market, but smaller and earlier stage.

Regional players

• Rogelli: Dutch cycling and sportswear brand offering team kits and retail apparel. Comparable in regional focus on Netherlands/Benelux and custom team cycling apparel, serving similar amateur club segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/balans-group-bv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Balans Group BV.