COMPANYHISTORIES

Belgium

Companies based in Belgium, and the events that shaped them.

21companies1841–1988founding years17still active3no longer operating
§ 01

Belgium companies over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedC & A
1841
1851
TechnologySinger's sewing machine mechanizes garment-making.
1856
TechnologyBessemer's process makes cheap steel possible.
1857
EconomyThe Panic of 1857 spreads through banks and railroads.
1859
TechnologyDrake's well at Titusville launches the oil industry.
1867
TechnologyNobel patents dynamite.
1869
EconomyThe transcontinental railroad links the American coasts.
EconomyThe Suez Canal opens, reshaping global shipping.
1873
EconomyLevi Strauss patents riveted denim work pants.
EconomyThe Panic of 1873 triggers a global depression.
1876
TechnologyAlexander Graham Bell patents the telephone.
1879
TechnologyEdison demonstrates a practical incandescent lamp.
1882
TechnologyEdison's Pearl Street Station opens the electric-utility era.
1886
EconomyCoca-Cola is first served in Atlanta.
TechnologyThe Hall-Heroult process makes aluminum cheap to produce.
1888
TechnologyKodak's roll-film camera brings photography to everyone.
FoundedGroupe Herstal S.A.
1889
FoundedElectrabel N.V.
1892
1893
EconomyThe Panic of 1893 pulls down banks and overbuilt railroads.
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedNV Umicore SA
1906
1908
TechnologyFord's Model T puts the automobile within reach of the middle class.
1913
TechnologyFord's moving assembly line transforms factory production.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1916
EconomyPiggly Wiggly opens the first self-service grocery store.
FoundedPetroFina S.A.
1920
FoundedSabena S.A./N.V.
1923
FoundedEtablissements Franz Colruyt N.V.
1925
EconomyThe Grand Ole Opry begins broadcasting from Nashville.
1927
TechnologyThe Jazz Singer ushers in the era of sound films.
TechnologyLindbergh flies the Atlantic solo, and aviation captures the public.
1928
TechnologyPenicillin is discovered, opening the age of antibiotics.
FoundedTractebel S.A.
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedBELGACOM
1930
1931
EconomyThe Empire State Building rises in just over a year.
1933
EconomyThe first drive-in movie theater opens in New Jersey.
1937
EconomyThe Golden Gate Bridge opens as the world's longest suspension span.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1946
TechnologyENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic computer, is unveiled.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedRoularta Media Group NV
1954
1955
EconomyMcDonald's franchising begins, remaking fast food.
EconomyDisneyland opens and invents the modern theme park.
1956
TechnologyThe first transatlantic telephone cable opens.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
EconomyThe first Walmart opens, built on everyday low prices.
FoundedAgfa Gevaert Group N.V.
1964
FoundedSolvay S.A.
1967
FoundedDHL Worldwide Network S.A./N.V.
1969
TechnologyARPANET, the internet's precursor, goes live.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedGIB Group
1974
FoundedBANK BRUSSELS LAMBERT
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedCockerill Sambre Group
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
TechnologyThe first US in-vitro fertilization baby is born.
FoundedPunch International N.V.
1982
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedInterbrew S.A.
1988
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
TechnologyLinux and open source challenge proprietary software.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1994
TechnologyE-commerce begins to disrupt retail.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
1999
TechnologyNapster ignites the digital disruption of recorded music.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
TechnologyGPS opens to civilian use, turning location into a utility.
2002
EconomyThe euro enters circulation across the eurozone.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

GENERALE BANK (Générale de Banque) →
Active · Belgium
Incorpoated: 1934 as Banque de la Société Générale de Belgique Employees: 16,367 Assets: BFr 2.33 trillion (US$62.42…
C & A →
Active · founded 1841 · Belgium
C & A is a paradox.
Groupe Herstal S.A. →
Renamed · founded 1889 · Belgium
Groupe Herstal S.A.
Electrabel N.V. →
Active · founded 1892 · Belgium
Electrabel N.V.
NV Umicore SA →
Active · founded 1906 · Belgium
NV Umicore SA--known as Union Minière until late 2001--is one of the world's leading producers of zinc, precious…
PetroFina S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1920 · Belgium
PetroFina S.A., Belgium's largest corporation, is the 15th largest publicly traded integrated oil and gas company in…
Sabena S.A./N.V. →
Defunct · founded 1923 · Belgium
Sabena S.A./N.V.
Etablissements Franz Colruyt N.V. →
Active · founded 1925 · Belgium
Etablissements Franz Colruyt NV is one of Belgium's top three supermarket and retail companies.
Tractebel S.A. →
Active · founded 1929 · Belgium
Tractebel S.A.
BELGACOM →
Active · founded 1930 · Belgium
Belgacom, as Belgium's Régie des Télégraphes et Téléphones (RTT) has been officially known since 1991, exists primarily…
KREDIETBANK N.V. →
Active · founded 1935 · Belgium
Stock Index: Brussels Amsterdam The Kredietbank was created in 1935 when the Algemeene Bankvereeniging en Volksbank van…
Roularta Media Group NV →
Active · founded 1954 · Belgium
Roularta Media Group NV is a Belgian-based media conglomerate.
Agfa Gevaert Group N.V. →
Active · founded 1964 · Belgium
One of the world's most renowned names in photographic films and equipment, Belgium-based Agfa Gevaert Group N.V.
Solvay S.A. →
Active · founded 1967 · Belgium
The wide ranging activities of the Belgium chemical firm Solvay S.A.
DHL Worldwide Network S.A./N.V. →
Active · founded 1969 · Belgium
DHL Worldwide Network S.A./N.V., wholly owned by Deutsche Post AG (the German post office) since December 2002, is the…
GIB Group →
Active · founded 1974 · Belgium
GIB Group, Belgium's top retailer, is active in four sectors: supermarkets and hypermarkets; do-it-yourself (DIY) home…
BANK BRUSSELS LAMBERT →
Active · founded 1975 · Belgium
Stock Index: Brussels Antwerp Ghent Liege Belgium's second largest commercial bank, Bank Brussels Lambert (BBL) was…
Cockerill Sambre Group →
Defunct · founded 1981 · Belgium
One of the largest industrial groups in Belgium, the Cockerill Sambre Group is a medium-sized integrated steelmaking…
Punch International N.V. →
Active · founded 1982 · Belgium
Punch International N.V.
Interbrew S.A. →
Active · founded 1988 · Belgium
With operations on every continent on the globe, Belgium's Interbrew S.A.
Xeikon NV →
Active · founded 1988 · Belgium
Xeikon NV is one of the pioneers of color digital printing technology for the professional printing market.
Build It Today

How would you build this today?

Each week we rebuild one of these stories with today's tools and capital.