At your service for more than 65 years!

André Celis

André Celis has more than 65 years of experience in the sale of building materials to both professionals and individuals. André Celis offers a perfect service: professional advice, extensive stock of quality products, large stores with showroom and demo stands and its own tailor-made transport service for fast delivery.

In addition to building materials, André Celis has its own natural stone company, a recycling center with container service and various filling stations.

History André Celis

1954
The post-war years offered many opportunities to people with entrepreneurial blood. We are in the process of reconstruction and the foundation for our current welfare state is being laid.

Against this background, André Celis decided in 1954 to switch from transport for third parties to the own sale of coal, fertilizers and building materials . The foundation for the André Celis company has been laid.

1958
After a few years, transport for third parties disappeared completely into the background. André Celis saw more opportunity in distributing building materials himself.

The sale of coal in the winter and building materials in the summer turned out to be an ideal combination . The early trucks were increasingly used for own transport and delivery. Construction was literally and figuratively on the rise in the late 1950s. The first own drivers were recruited.

1963
André Celis is starting to establish himself as a fixed value in the Leuven building circles and also further afield. The company is growing steadily and already has 4 employees.

André Celis worked with his wife among the workers and thus commanded the respect of the employees. The appreciation was mutual. They were all diligent workers who, through their dedication and loyalty, were able to lift the company to a higher echelon.

1968
Central heating became commonplace in the golden sixties. This greatly increased the demand for fuels such as heating oil. André Celis recognized the importance of this trend and invested in a second-hand tanker for the delivery of fuels .

He had to compete with established names such as BP in Leuven. But an entrepreneur in heart and soul does not shun competition ...

1972
The fuels department was only just getting started when the first oil crisis had already started. Images of desolate roads during the car-free Sundays will always remain with us. These were times of scarcity, demand far exceeded supply.

André Celis played the game correctly and ensured a fair distribution via a system of delivery chips per customer. The company emerged victorious from the crisis.

1975
1975 is a black page in the history of the André Celis company.
In that year, on March 1, the founder André Celis died. He had been a heart patient for some time and succumbed to a heart attack.

André Celis leaves behind a wife and two children. The son, François Celis, is then completing his military service and ends it early to be able to intervene in the case.
Hard work and the unconditional loyalty and support of the employees help them through these hard times.

1978
During the 1970s it was hard work for François Celis and his wife to ensure that everything went smoothly without the help of father André Celis.

Fortunately, this decade has been very favorable for construction. The first André Celis showroom for building materials was opened in 1978 . Meanwhile, the workforce has increased to 8.

1982
Construction is entering a crisis, partly due to extremely high fuel prices. Our client construction companies responded creatively to this and started working more and more according to the 'turnkey concept', which gave the end clients better control over their housing budget.

Construction companies also continued to look geographically for their clients. André Celis was able to follow them literally and figuratively with qualitative products and a sophisticated service.

No crisis at André Celis. The company already has 20 employees.

1985
A container service will be started as a service to the customer builders. A container was placed at the site, in which all construction waste was deposited and later removed by André Celis.

The next logical step was the mechanical sorting of waste . This later led to the very first full-fledged sorting center in the region in 1993.

1988
André Celis buys land on the Kolonel Begaultlaan in Leuven. The intention was to extend the activities and the spirit and commitment of Lubbeek to a larger city such as Leuven . After a cooperation agreement with Henri Lahou from Diest and Frans Florentie from Haacht, there was a need for more storage options for fuels . Both were dynamic fuel traders, but unfortunately without successors in the business.

A storage of 1 million liters was built on the sites in Leuven. Even Fina became charmed by this approach and offered André Celis the opportunity to take over her Leuven Fina branch 'de Hoorn van Leuven'. Immediately the annual volume increased to 25 million liters.

40 blue-collar and white-collar workers are already active in the company.

1988
Growth is going well at André Celis. In 1990, Natuursteenbedrijf Verbiest in Lubbeek was taken over and the new showroom at the Kolonel Begaultlaan in Leuven was festively opened.

1993
In 1993, André Celis joined Adimat, a purchasing group with 18 important building materials traders. The group not only provided more bargaining power through joint purchases, but also supported the members in the areas of marketing, publicity and computerization.

Adimat profiled the traders more strongly compared to the manufacturers of building materials and this increase in scale enabled them to put more weight in the scale at European level as well.

1998
An opportunity presents itself: André Celis is given the opportunity to take over some unmanned petrol stations , which would fit perfectly within the growth strategy of the fuels division. The investment is enormous, the step is being taken.

The various activities of the André Celis company are also divided into separate entities, so that the strengths and weaknesses of certain activities are more clearly visible. In some cases this meant a very 'cold shower'.
This intervention made it clear that thorough adjustments had to be made here and there. A painful but necessary intervention that would later pay off.

In the meantime, the company already had about a hundred employees and opened a DIY store in Lubbeek, with a professionally focused product range.

2001
From the magical year 2000, a major competitor from Aarschot is taken over and the annual volume of fuels increases to 70 million liters!

The company continues to grow by accurately responding to market demand and correctly assessing upcoming needs. Just think of new services and developments, such as mortar and plaster in silos, the DIY store formula and the focus on specific renovation products.

2003
Together with a number of colleagues, it is decided to do something about the takeover wave in the sector. The “ Bouw.Punt ” concept is launched from Adimat . The main traders profile themselves under the new name and logo of “Bouw.Punt”.

Shopping points and trucks will be adapted in this sense. André Celis also enjoyed this new, dynamic look.

2004
André Celis has been around for half a century and this is quite a milestone in the history of a company. From here, the company continues to build on its future and is already forging some ambitious plans. Raw materials and goods are transported along the waterways

via the new location on the Leuven-Dijle canal . This saves a few thousand truck trips per year on the road!

2008
A brand new recycling center should relieve the overloading sorting center in Lubbeek. Investments are made in modern machines and techniques to limit the fraction of residual waste. Thanks to its unique location on the canal, André Celis Recycling has the opportunity to relieve the road network.

In this large sorting center, located in the Kampenhout-Sas industrial park, thousands of kilos of construction and demolition waste are sorted every day. The sorting facility became operational in early 2009 and is one of the best in Western Europe.

2013
André Celis is renovating its DIY store and warehouse in Lubbeek and a new production hall is being built for the Natuursteen department in Lubbeek. The show parks and showrooms are also regularly renewed, where the customer can discover the wide range.

A very extensive and modern fleet gives André Celis great added value!

André Celis continues to invest and innovate in order to continue to meet the needs of its customers.

2014
André Celis and AB InBev will work together to reduce their CO 2 emissions. André Celis uses inland waterways to transport his building materials from Jupille to Leuven. However, once the load is unloaded, the boat will return empty at this point. This will now change by having the barge depart for Jupille with empty crates of Jupiler.

André Celis has been contributing to ecology for several years now, through the most efficient possible transport by means of full trucks and effective route planning. André Celis, for example, has already invested in a covered wagon, which consumes up to 25% less than a classic construction site truck. In addition, many building materials for the Wilsele department are delivered by ship across the canal.

This commitment allows André Celis to receive a “Lean and Green” award . A reward for the commitment to reduce CO 2 emissions by 20% over a period of 5 years.

2015
André Celis Recyclage collects construction waste, which is sorted into fractions that are as small as possible and delivers these sorted materials to companies that further process it into new products or use it as building material or fuel.

Since the sorting center is located on the Leuven-Dijle canal, inland shipping is used to transport construction waste. Since 2015, all wood waste has also been transported by ship.

André Celis has been working with CityDepot since December 10, 2015 , with the aim of driving as few heavy transports as possible through the inner cities. André Celis will drop off pallets at CityDepot's central depot in Leuven, after which they will provide smart distribution with more environmentally friendly vehicles.
By transporting as many deliveries as possible at the same time, CityDepot gets more goods delivered in fewer kilometers.

2016
In October 2016, the third branch of André Celis Bouwmaterialen opened its doors in Tienen . With a retail space of no less than 1,800 m², both private and professional can find what they are looking for here.

A wide range and extensive stock of professional building materials from structural work to finishing, tools and installation accessories.

2019
On January 24, 2019, the new unloading quay in Tildonk along the Leuven-Dijle canal was festively inaugurated by Flemish Minister Ben Weyts.

The project, worth approximately 878,000 euros, is a public-private partnership between the Flemish Waterway and the company Hambos Logistics (Group André Celis). The quay will mainly be used for loading and unloading all kinds of construction materials. By concentrating everything in Tildonk, André Celis can start with thorough, optimal and ecological logistics.

It is estimated that at least 90,000 tonnes of water-bound traffic will be realized annually, an important and positive commitment in times of increasing mobility and environmental pressure. Converted, this concerns 4,500 truck trips that are taken off the road every year.

In the second half of 2019, the new logistics center Hambos Logistics located along this quay will be put into use. All goods are received and stored in this large and modern distribution center. From here, all delivery to customers and collection points are optimally planned in order to be able to offer an even better service.

2020
The fourth André Celis Bouwmaterialen will open its doors on 20 January 2020. This new store with modern showroom is located on Ter Heidelaan in Aarschot and is ready to help private and professional customers with their construction projects.