Jan-Wout Hulstein

Dutsh & Asiades | Jan-Wout Hulstein

Website: www.asiades.com

Dutsh & Asiades

Jan – Wout Hulstein advertises himself as a furniture lover on his business card. It undoubtedly has something to do with him growing up between furniture. His parent owned a furniture shop and his grandfather taught him the trade of furniture maker. After gaining some experience in the import of furniture in payed service, Jan – Wout started his own company Asiades in 1990 and in 2011, the brand Dutsh (no spelling error!) got added.

Own design

Jan – Wout started small, designing and building furniture. This got a good reception and revenue grew fast. That’s why he decided to keep designing, but move the production through a joint-venture to Indonesia and later China, where his son also works as a 6th generation furniture maker and can be found in the factory daily.

Successful in Asia

In 1998 they decided to go to a big furniture conference in Asia, first in Jakarta and 3 years later in Singapore and Shanghai. Jan – Wout: “This was a unique experience, we were the first European company at the conference and the furniture got a good reception. We were taking orders the whole day. We supply mainly seating furniture to the middle class who want high quality for a lower price. We are trendsetting because we advertise ourselves with Dutch Design”.

At the moment, 95% of their revenue comes from abroad, with 35% from Europe and 65% from further abroad. “We once started with a 250m2 stand in Shanghai. Today, the company's success in China has reached such proportions that Dutsh & Asiades has a second location in Guangzhou. A new market is the sale of furniture to international hotel chains. Besides China, Dutsh & Asiades has also gained a firm foothold in the Indian market with an Asiades brand store in Bombay. 

Building your own brand

Dutsh & Asiades has become a renowned brand in Asia. This ambition also applies to the European market. Jan – Wout: “We expect our growth to continue with double digits.” Their latest project is the development of a furniture line created by Dutsh & Asiades together with Dutch fasion designer Mart Visser. The initial response looks promising.

Export countries: Europe, Middle-East, India, China, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, India, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, South Africa, USA, Canada, Mexico, and so on.