Cinema group Kinepolis named business of the year

The  Brussels-based cinema chain Kinepolis has been crowned Flanders’ Enterprise of the Year at a ceremony at Heizel. The company, which has 5,000 employees and dozens of theatres in nine countries, has enjoyed considerable growth in recent years.

“Alongside the impressive expansion strategy, which has recently reached a high point with expansion to the US, Kinepolis has marked itself out with its empowerment of its staff and by creating added value for the customer experience,” the jury said. “They do all this with an eye on the environment, particularly in the use of energy-saving techniques, carrying out sustainable renovations and incorporating the latest movie technology.”

The annual award is organised by EY, BNP Paribas Fortis and De Tijd. The jury, made up of high-level representatives from Belgian business and academia, chose Kinepolis ahead of Limburg HR company Actief, the Antwerp family building business Aertssen and shoe shop chain Torfs, from Sint-Niklaas.

“This is a fantastic recognition for the almost 5,000 employees of Kinepolis in our 109 theatres spread over Europe, Canada and the US,” said CEO Eddy Duquenne after being presented with the award by King Filip. “Every day I see proud people who are passionate about their job, working hard and doing their best. This recognition is great and will certainly give us extra motivation to push boundaries, to keep innovating so we can offer our customers the ultimate film experience over and over again.”

As going to the cinema has become less popular in Europe with the rise of streaming services such as Netflix, Kinepolis has tried to counter the trend with initiatives that focus on the cinema experience. One such event is a marathon screening of 12 episodes of the US sitcom Friends on 19 October, to mark its 25th anniversary.

“The people who watch a lot of Netflix are also people who often go to the cinema,” said Duquenne. “Going to the cinema is an evening out, it’s about experiencing emotions together.”

Photo: Kinepolis CEO Eddy Duquenne with King Filip at this week’s award ceremony