“A safe isn’t just for your expensive watch or pearl necklaces”
Where do you store your most valuable or sentimental belongings? In years gone by, many people had their own safe at the bank. But with a range of services now available online, banks have closed branches and eventually stopped renting out safes in 2020. This is where De Nederlandse Kluis comes in. Established over 11 years ago, the company is the biggest safe provider in the Netherlands with over 42 branches in the country. Marc Balvers, Managing Director of De Nederlandse Kluis, tells us more about the company.
What is De Nederlandse Kluis?
Marc Balvers explains, “People come to us to rent a heavily guarded, high-security safe to store their valuable or sentimental belongings. We give them peace of mind. When banks started to remove their safes, the founders of the De Nederlandse Kluis saw an opportunity to start a business specialising in that gap in the market.”
Why do you think many people still want to rent safes?
“We’ve seen huge growth in demand since setting up the company. Many people who used to have a safe at a bank sought an alternative, and lots of those people are still loyal customers of ours. People are keen to protect their valuables, with demand for safes increasing in line with the number of break-ins. Thankfully, the number of break-ins has stopped increasing so quickly and these figures have stabilised. Something that is going up is the price of gold. We’re seeing more people who want to store their gold securely, as well as increasing interest from people with other valuables. That’s because we provide the most secure storage option out there – our safes are more secure than home safes."
Are your rental safes only meant for storing high-value belongings?
“When people think of safes, they think they must contain expensive belongings. There’s a belief that our customer base is made up of wealthy people and celebrities. But that’s not true at all – our company welcomes everyone.
Yes, there are many people who store valuable things, but I think a safe should be used for sentimental belongings if nothing else. A sentimental belonging doesn’t necessarily have to be worth a lot of money. We all have belongings that hold an emotional value. Many people forget that. They think: ‘You use a safe to store expensive things. Surely I can’t put a photo album or a bunch of old letters in there?’. The truth is, you can. A safe isn’t just for your expensive watch or pearl necklaces.”
What’s your favourite thing about your job and the company?
“It sounds a bit cliché, but I think our mission to give everyone peace of mind is my favourite part of the job. Our goal is to take worries off your mind, knowing your valuables are safe.”
What’s the biggest challenge?
“I think our biggest challenge is related to awareness. People should know that sentimental belongings, the ones that hold significant emotional value, are worth just as much as expensive ones.”
What future plans do you have for De Nederlandse Kluis?
“I want to normalise safe rentals. It should be as common as taking out home contents insurance. I’d also love for our locations to be more appealing to the public. Most of our branches are in former banks, many of which have barred windows – even in customer reception areas. It’s not the most welcoming of settings. It’d be great if you could access your safe in your favourite shopping centre, just like any other shop. Of course, these locations would have to comply with the strictest security standards.
Another thing I’d like to do is bring our concept and service up to date, make it more modern, while remaining professional. We might even lose the suit and tie one day!”
