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Broekmans Drinks Shop from Zolder has once again won a national online shop award. During the Retailer of the Year awards, the Limburg-based family business was voted by consumers as the winner of the Webshop Award in the Food & Drink category. This means Broekmans can add another accolade to its list of achievements for the third year running. A remarkable achievement for a relatively small independent business, which, in this competition, finds itself in the company of major national retailers such as Aveve, Lidl and Sleepworld.
The story of Drankenshop Broekmans began in 1989, when Jos Broekmans set up his drinks shop in Zolder. His son Jan is now at the helm of the family business, which, in addition to its physical shop, also runs an extensive online shop. That online shop has already received national recognition on several occasions in recent years. In 2024, Broekmans won the Logistic Champion Award at the Becom Awards. A year later came the Becom Payment Hero Award, in recognition of the online shop’s ordering process and payment options.
This year, a third accolade has been added to the list, this time thanks to the votes of consumers who took part in the Retailer of the Year poll.
“That’s what makes this award so special to us,” says manager Jan Broekmans. “As a small family-run business in Limburg, we’re now ranked alongside some of the country’s largest retailers. They have budgets and resources we can only dream of. The fact that our customers nevertheless voted for us to win this award naturally makes us extremely proud. Above all, it’s a wonderful confirmation that our efforts are genuinely appreciated.”
Over 8,000 products, but above all a lot of hard work
Behind the online shop lies an organisation that goes far beyond simply offering an extensive range of drinks online. Broekmans has more than 8,000 products available directly from stock and dispatches orders daily to customers in Belgium and the Netherlands. The company places a strong emphasis on fast deliveries, careful packaging and a highly accessible customer service team.
“Building a good online shop is one thing, but ensuring that everything behind the scenes runs just as smoothly is just as important,” says Maarten Cuypers, who is jointly responsible for the development of the online shop within the family business. “Our warehouse team works hard every single day to process all orders promptly and carefully. And when customers have questions or something does go wrong, our customer service team is on hand to help them as quickly as possible. Ultimately, it’s these people who make the difference day in, day out.”
The figures also show that this approach works. Drankenshop Broekmans scores 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot and 9.6 out of 10 on Kiyoh, two independent review platforms where customers can share their experiences. Furthermore, fewer than one in a thousand deliveries result in a claim for damages.
“That’s something we’re particularly proud of,” Maarten continues. “After all, we mainly ship fragile products. You don’t achieve such a low damage rate just like that. To do so, you need to invest in good packaging, efficient processes and, above all, people who carry out their work with the necessary care.”
Not the cheapest, but a conscious choice
According to Broekmans, the online shop’s success is also the result of a clear choice. The family-run business does not want to compete by offering the lowest prices at any cost, but by providing customers with a service that keeps them coming back.
“Being able to offer a range of over 8,000 products from stock, deliver orders the next day and, at the same time, maintain exceptionally high customer satisfaction requires significant investment,” explains Jan. “That’s not possible if your sole aim is to be the cheapest on the market. We make a conscious choice to invest in our stock, our staff and our service. It is therefore a great pleasure when customers appreciate those efforts and show us such overwhelming support during an election like this.”
The online shop itself is also constantly evolving. Over the past year, the checkout process has been further simplified and greater emphasis has been placed on the online experience. Artificial intelligence is also playing an increasingly important role in this.
“We want to translate the personalised service that customers are used to in our physical shop into our online shop as effectively as possible,” explains Maarten. “For example, we’re currently rolling out a virtual product assistant to help customers find their way around our extensive range. This can be a huge added value, especially for newcomers or people who’ll soon be looking for a nice gift. With the festive season approaching, we hope this will help even more customers find the perfect present to put under the Christmas tree.”
A fine accolade in a sector under pressure
This third consecutive award comes at a time when things are far from easy for Belgian drinks retailers. According to Broekmans, successive increases in excise duty and competition from abroad are making it increasingly difficult for independent specialist drinks shops to remain profitable.
“As a Belgian specialist drinks retailer, we have to compete every day with foreign competitors who can operate in a completely different tax environment,” says Jan. “The successive increases in excise duty have only made cross-border shopping more attractive. At the same time, our customers rightly expect us to continue investing in a wide range of products, good service and competitive prices. Striking that balance is becoming increasingly difficult.”
The manager is also troubled by the way the government currently approaches alcohol consumption.
“We understand, of course, that alcohol abuse is a problem and that the government must address it. But we increasingly feel that no distinction is being made between abuse and responsible enjoyment. It’s as if someone who occasionally enjoys a good glass of wine or a high-quality whisky has to justify themselves for doing so. We find that particularly regrettable. Our sector revolves largely around taste, quality, craftsmanship and experience. It would be nice if some attention were paid to that as well, rather than labelling every bon vivant as an alcohol abuser.”
This economic uncertainty is also having an impact on the family business’s future plans. Despite the string of awards and the satisfaction of his customers, Broekmans prefers to keep a foot on the brake for the time being.
“In the current economic climate, we have no major growth ambitions for the time being,” explains Jan. “If our online shop can match this year’s figures next year, we’ll be more than satisfied. Unfortunately, the business climate and the uncertainty surrounding future government measures are also forcing us to scale back further investment in our sector. That’s a shame, because naturally we’d prefer to keep looking ahead and putting new plans into action. That’s not possible if our sector continues to be portrayed as the bogeyman.”
A victory for the whole team
For the time being, however, Broekmans is primarily focused on its satisfaction at receiving this third consecutive national accolade. The online shop continues to evolve, and the company intends to further improve its online services in the coming months.
“Naturally, we’re delighted with this third award, but we’re well aware that we didn’t win it on our own,” concludes Jan. “We have a fantastic team that works hard every single day to help our customers as best they can. And without the overwhelming support of our customers, we certainly wouldn’t be here today. This award belongs just as much to them as it does to us.”
Links and media
- Retailer of the Year / Bestewinkelketen.be
- Category winners 2026–2027
- Heusden-zolder.eu / Internetgazet Heusden – Zolder
- TV Limburg (tvl.be)
Marketing • IT • Klantenservice
I've known Broekmans since I graduated in 2006 and thanks to Jan I've come to know the passion for spirits. I dedicate myself every day to the webshop, customer service and all the IT involved. In my spare time, besides whiskey, I can also really enjoy rum, but just as much as a gin tonic or a simple bellini. In the words of Martien Meiland, if there's no alcohol in it, don't call me!
