Hof der dingen - Tennis rackets - Snauwaert and Depla

Every sports enthusiast will surely remember the colourful tennis stars Vitas Gerulaitis and Miroslav Mečíř. In the 1970s and ’80s, they took the world by storm – making waves on the international tennis circuit. They competed at the highest level – a Snauwaert racket in hand. The manufacturer? A West Flemish company – of course. We’re everywhere… 

It all began in 1928, when brothers-in-law Valeer Snauwaert and Eugeen Depla decided to start their own company. They were originally coachbuilders (also called car body repairers or carrossiers) by trade. Since the automotive industry still relied heavily on wood at the time, they were equally crafty with timber as car parts. In their small workshop in Beveren-Roeselare, they started manufacturing hockey sticks, sleds, canoes, and tennis rackets. 

Business went well, and soon they had to employ 35 people to keep up with increasing demand. When Valeer secured a distributor for the British market, Snauwaert & Depla was officially on the international map. Sadly, Valeer didn’t live to see the company’s full success – he passed away unexpectedly in 1945. 

Under the leadership of Eugeen Depla — later joined in the 1950s by his son André and cousin Karel Snauwaert — the company continued to grow. It became one of the first businesses to move to a newly established industrial park in Beveren. By then, Snauwaert & Depla had become a major player in the American sporting goods market as well. 

The tennis market began to decline by the mid-1970s. European brands faced growing competition from cheaper Taiwanese products. Snauwaert & Depla managed to stay afloat by launching high-quality synthetic rackets. In the mid-1980s, the company decided to close all of its factories and Belgium and relocate to Italy due to significantly lower manufacturing costs, particularly labour costs. Despite the move, business became increasingly difficult, and in 1991, the company filed for bankruptcy. 

But when West Flemish people fall? They get back up again. The Snauwaert brand made a successful comeback in 2015 – though they no longer manufacture wooden rackets. While development still takes place in Belgium, production now happens in China.