arbis

What arbis does

Arbis BV is a Belgian family-owned wholesale distributor specializing in finishing wood products, headquartered in Balen in the Kempen region. Founded in 2003 by Karin Verbist, the company imports and distributes skirting boards (plinten), door frames (deurlijsten), batten strips, wall paneling, exterior planks, and storm boards in materials including solid glued wood, MDF V313 (moisture-resistant), and veneer. Arbis was one of the first Belgian players to specialize in pre-painted and pre-lacquered woodwork, offering white-primed and RAL 9010/RAL 9016 color finishes that reduce on-site finishing work for professional buyers.

The company operates as a B2B total supplier serving construction professionals, renovation contractors, and interior finishers across Belgium, with distribution handled through an owned and centralized warehouse, in-house transport fleet, and open-pallet stocking of every model for rapid fulfillment. Products are FSC, FLEGT, and EUTR certified, positioning Arbis within the legal and sustainable wood sourcing compliance framework required by EU construction buyers. Successive operational investments — including the 2019 consolidation of three warehouses into a single facility and 2020 sustainability capex (solar panels, EV charging, electric forklifts) — reflect a capital-intensive but disciplined growth approach.

Arbis runs a quote-based wholesale revenue model with personalized pricing, no disclosed digital or e-commerce sales channel, and no external investors or parent company. The second generation, Margot Verbist (sales, since 2009) and William Verbist (procurement, since 2014), has taken over operational leadership alongside the founder, with no announced leadership transition, M&A activity, or geographic expansion beyond the Belgian domestic market.

Name

arbis

Legal name

Arbis BV

Website

https://arbis.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Arbis BV is a Belgian family-owned wholesale distributor in Balen supplying pre-painted and primed skirting boards, door frames, wall paneling, and exterior wood profiles to construction professionals, renovators, and interior finishers across Belgium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wood products and interior finishing supplies

NAICS

Lumber, Plywood, Millwork, and Wood Panel Merchant Wholesalers (423310), Custom Architectural Woodwork and Millwork Manufacturing (337212)

SIC

Wholesale-Lumber, Plywood, Millwork & Wood Panels (5031), Millwood, Veneer, Plywood, & Structural Wood Members (2430)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineered Wood Siding, Trim & Mouldings (IMAMACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Engineered Wood Product Finishing, Coating & Overlay (Film-faced, HPL/LPL) (IMAMACAN), Engineered Wood Products Distribution (LVL, I-joists, Glulam, CLT) (IMAMAIAD)

Keywords

• Wholesale wood products
• Skirting boards
• Door frames
• Interior finishing supplies
• Wood paneling

Headquarters

HQ city

Balen

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Wood Products: Arbis operates as a wholesale supplier of finishing wood products (baseboards, door frames, wall paneling, etc.) to B2B customers including construction professionals and renovation companies. Revenue is generated through product sales with emphasis on large stock and rapid delivery.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Arbis BV is a Belgian wholesale supplier of wood finishing products, specializing in skirting boards (plinten), door frames (deurlijsten), batten strips, wall paneling, exterior planks, and storm boards. Products are offered in solid glued wood, MDF V313 moisture-resistant, and veneer finishes, with pre-painted options in RAL 9010 and RAL 9016 colors. The company maintains a large consolidated warehouse in Balen and distributes via its own transport fleet to construction professionals, renovation contractors, and interior finishers across Belgium.

Product overview

Arbis is a total supplier (totaalleverancier) for wood finishing products, specializing in skirting boards, door frames, wall paneling, batten strips, storm boards, and planks for both interior and exterior applications. The company offers products in various materials including solid wood, MDF (V313 moisture-resistant), and veneer, with finishes ranging from white primed to pre-lacquered in specific RAL colors. Arbis positions itself as a specialist in pre-painted trim work (voorgeverfd lijstwerk), with FSC-certified and sustainably sourced wood products. The product portfolio centers on six main categories: plinten (skirting boards), deurlijsten (door frames), slaglatten (batten strips), lambrisering (wall paneling), planchetten (planks), and stormplanken (storm boards).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plinten (Skirting Boards) Skirting boards in various materials including solid glued white primed, MDF V313 (white primed or pre-lacquered in RAL 9010 and RAL 9016), and veneer finishes. Sold wholesale to construction professionals, renovators, and interior finishers in Belgium.
• Deurlijsten (Door Frames) Door frames available in solid glued white primed, MDF V313 moisture-resistant (green untreated or white primed), and veneer options. Sold wholesale to construction professionals and interior finishers in Belgium.
• Slaglatten (Batten Strips) Batten strips for finishing and protective applications. Sold wholesale to construction professionals and interior finishers in Belgium.
• Lambrisering (Wall Paneling) Interior wall paneling including planks and top rails, with pre-painted options in specific RAL colors available. Sold wholesale to construction professionals and interior finishers in Belgium.
• Planchetten (Planks) Exterior planks for outdoor finishing applications. Sold wholesale to construction professionals and renovators in Belgium.
• Stormplanken (Storm Boards) Exterior storm protection boards including F.J./Lam. white primed Durian White and Mouluur Meranti options. Sold wholesale to construction professionals and renovators in Belgium.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Deschacht: Belgian wholesale distributor of building materials and finishing products to construction professionals and contractors. Closely comparable to Arbis in B2B trade channel, Belgian geographic focus, and emphasis on stock availability and rapid delivery.
• Vandenbergh Hout: Belgian importer and distributor of sawn timber, panels, and wood-based construction products serving professional trades. Direct peer in Belgian wholesale channel with overlapping customer base and product mix.
• MBM Bouwmaterialen: Belgian wholesale supplier of building materials and interior finishing products to construction professionals and renovators. Comparable B2B trade customer base and Belgian geographic focus, with overlapping finishing/trim category presence.

Broad incumbents

• Unilin: Belgian-based major manufacturer of engineered wood panels, MDF, and decorative surfaces with broad distribution into construction and interiors. While Unilin operates upstream, it competes for the same downstream trim/finishing specification decisions Arbis serves.
• Würth Belgium: Belgian arm of the global Würth Group, supplying fasteners, tools, and a growing range of building-finishing materials to trades. Overlaps with Arbis in serving construction professionals with stocked, on-demand materials and rapid delivery.
• Saint-Gobain Distribution Belgium (Point.P / SGDB France): Large multi-brand building-materials distributor serving contractors and renovators across the Benelux, with stocked millwork, panels, and finishing products. Comparable wholesale/builder-customer model at significantly larger scale than Arbis.
• Kronospan: European vertically integrated manufacturer of wood-based panels (MDF, particleboard, laminates) with broad distribution into furniture and construction finishing. Competes upstream of Arbis in the MDF-based trim and paneling value chain.
• EGGER (Fritz Egger GmbH): Austrian-headquartered European manufacturer of wood-based panels, laminates, and finishing products for construction and interior applications. Comparable product category (MDF, decorative panels, trim-relevant boards) and serves overlapping Belgian/European buyers.

Regional players

• Travis Perkins: UK-headquartered national builder's merchant serving trades with stocked lumber, panels, and finishing products. Comparable B2B trade channel, branch network, and stock-led service model, though operating primarily in the UK rather than Belgium.
• Raab Karcher (Stark Group): German/Dutch building-materials distributor serving professional trades with stocked timber, panels, and interior finishing products. Comparable wholesale-trade model and stock-plus-delivery service approach; serves neighboring markets rather than Belgium directly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 arbis