Entrepreneur Marc Coucke inaugurated Belgium's first SnowWorld ski slope and his company's eighth venture in Europe on Thursday in Wilrijk, just outside Antwerp.
In 2017, Coucke's investment firm, Alychlo, acquired a 10% stake in SnowWorld, a company established in the Netherlands in 1996. Today, Coucke holds approximately 95% of its shares and plans to delist the company from the Amsterdam Stock Exchange.
SnowWorld has five ski slopes in the Netherlands, one in France, one in Germany, and now one in Belgium. The new slope is located at the old indoor ski track in Wilrijk, on the outskirts of Antwerp.
With around 1.4 million ski passes sold annually, SnowWorld sees itself as a global leader in the ski business. The Wilrijk slope is set to become an official training site for high-level snow sports, with professional snowboarder Seppe Smits attending Thursday's opening ceremony.
Coucke has dismissed criticism concerning the energy consumption of his ski slopes, stating the constant freezing temperature does not require as much energy as presumed. The facilities can therefore stay open all year round, as closing and reopening them would be more energy-intensive.
Like other recreational businesses, SnowWorld faced difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it rebounded last year and Coucke remains confident about the future of the sector.
