On Feb. 27, timber builder De Mar of Grou was declared bankrupt by the court in the Northern Netherlands. The company, which specialized in timber frame construction, had a rich history in the construction industry. The news of the bankruptcy came as a surprise, given De Mar's strong reputation in the production of both serial housing construction and luxury villas with wooden prefabricated shells.
With the appointment of Marco Kalmijn as receiver, associated with Van der Sluis, Van der Zee & Kalmijn Advocaten of Leeuwarden and Bolsward, a new chapter in the aftermath of the bankruptcy now begins. Kalmijn will take on the task of managing De Mar's assets and liabilities, with the aim of serving creditors as well as possible.
The bankruptcy involves four affiliated limited liability companies: De Mar 2D, De Mar Projects, De Mar Block2Build and De Mar Beheer. These entities were all crucial within the company's structure and contributed to De Mar's varied production capacity, which included not only individual walls, floors and dormers, but also complete wooden prefabricated shells from their factory in Grou.
De Mar distinguished itself in the market with its specialization in timber frame construction. This building system, often abbreviated as hsb, was valued for its ecological benefits and efficient construction process. The company was known for its precise production of prefabricated elements, which were used both in mass housing construction and in the construction of customized luxury villas.
Their production site in Grou acted as a hub in their operations, manufacturing a wide range of building products from individual building elements such as walls and roofs to complete prefabricated structures. This made De Mar an important player within the timber frame construction industry and provided them with the flexibility to respond to a variety of construction orders.
Despite its strong production capacity, De Mar's fate was uncertain. According to reports from De Leeuwarder Courant, a regional newspaper, the company's order book was still filled despite the bankruptcy. This suggests that the company was still seeing demand for their products and winning orders despite financial difficulties, possibly offering hope for a future recovery.
De Mar also went bankrupt in 2015, but the company managed to successfully relaunch back then. This previous experience could potentially prove valuable in the current situation.
De Mar was also affiliated with HoutbouwersNL through the NBVT (Dutch Branchevereniging voor Timmerfabrikanten), which underscored their commitment and connection to the broader wood construction industry.
In the aftermath of the bankruptcy, Marco Kalmijn, as trustee, will have to take stock of what steps can be taken to accommodate the creditors and parties involved as much as possible. Whether a new restart is possible, as was the case in 2015, remains unclear for now.
