2016-2023: The webshop is launched, solar panels are put in place and the 4th generation takes over
With the introduction of the webshop in 2016, sales rose steadily until the early 2020s. But COVID19 pandemic brought new uncertainties with it and for Sneeboer it was waiting to see what would happen. The corona pandemic lead to a lot of extra measures, but we managed to keep the workshop pretty much open and fortunately no one has been ill for a long time because of this virus. As people were not allowed to travel, they started working in their gardens and as a result the demand for garden tools exploded. Because we make everything ourselves, our delivery time also exploded from 3 weeks to 6 months with an outlier of 9 months.
Despite the pandemic, we commissioned over 300 solar panels which are installed on the roof of the new building in July 2020. With these solar panels, we generate more energy than we use in a year, making our production energy-neutral from then on! In 2021, Sjoerd Sneeboer (son of Jaap and Wilma) joined the company and the first measures were taken to reduce the extremely long delivery times. These included a substantial investment in staff, rebuilding the workshop and purchasing new machinery.
In early January 2023, we could finally announce that Laura and Sjoerd had taken over the company from Jaap and Wilma. The completion of the acquisition comes at a memorable moment as Sneeboer will celebrate its 110 year anniversary on the 30th of January 2023! As the fourth generation Sneeboer, Laura, Sjoerd and all the employees strive to produce the well-known Sneeboer tools of the highest quality while upholding the motto of founder Arie Sneeboer “if you are going to do something, make sure you do it right”.
