How It All Began

The story of Merak started in the late 1970s, at a time when computers were beginning to take hold in the business world. People dreamed of a paperless office, but that future was still far away. Archives consisted of entire rooms filled with locked cabinets, as the documents they held were often highly confidential.

Our founder, André, strongly believed in his idea. Companies were burdened with extremely high fixed archiving costs: buildings, maintenance, staff… With Merak’s services, those costs could suddenly be converted into a variable model — one clear all-inclusive price per archive box. For many CFOs, it sounded almost too good to be true.

The system also offered unprecedented confidentiality. Each box received a unique barcode as its only identifier, and the specially designed archive buildings ensured maximum security and discretion. Thanks to in-house software and customised barcode scanners, every movement could be tracked with precision.

The approach worked flawlessly: clients always had access to their inventory and could retrieve any file quickly. Still, skepticism persisted:
“Can you read our files?”,
“Isn’t this too cheap?”,
“What happens if you go bankrupt?”

Those early years were challenging. Even the bank asked: “Do you still believe in this yourself?”

The turning point came when a major insurance company chose Merak to manage thousands of files. The success was immediate, followed by widespread media attention.

Le Soir headlined: “It’s new and it’s Belgian.”
That marked the beginning of a strong growth story.

The Second Generation

Henrik, André’s son, joined the company at a young age. In the early years, the focus was entirely on archive management, but under his leadership, Merak gradually evolved into a versatile organisation offering more than ten different services.
After several years, he took over the leadership. He refined procedures, built new partnerships and invested heavily in quality and security. Thanks to his vision, Merak obtained three ISO certifications at an early stage: quality, information security and environment.

He also encouraged the development of proprietary software platforms for archiving, digitisation and e-commerce. Under his management, Box@Home was launched — an innovative service for private individuals with temporary or permanent storage needs. Large boxes or containers were delivered to the home, filled, and then stored safely in Merak’s warehouses.

His wife, Katharina Kothe, also played a key role — first as HR manager and corporate lawyer of the Belgian branch, later as CEO of the Swiss entity.

Henrik prepared the company for the challenges of his time while laying the foundations for adapting to a rapidly changing market.

Where his father had been the pioneer, he became the builder: the person who grew, broadened and modernized the company.
For more than thirty years, Henrik led Merak, while André remained active in the marketing department until he was in his early eighties.

The Third Generation

Today, André’s grandson leads Merak.
As a child, he wandered among the archive boxes and listened intently to the stories of his father and grandfather. Today, he writes the next chapter himself.

Before taking over the family business, he deliberately gained experience in other sectors. As an engineering consultant in London, he worked on the development and optimisation of offshore wind turbines for international projects. There, he deepened his expertise in construction techniques, machine learning, data science and innovation strategies.

In 2025, he decided to return to the family base — ready to further expand Merak with a clear vision.

The core activities remain firmly anchored: archiving, digitisation and offsite back-up storage. At the same time, major investments are being made in Box@Home and the new goods-storage services. The goal is to fully support small and mid-sized companies, retailers, wholesalers and event businesses.

Sustainability is also key. The company’s green transition is taking shape through investments in solar panels, electric vehicles, multiple battery systems and other environmentally conscious innovations.
Nicolas continues the family company’s core values — trust, discretion and customer focus — while adding a strong emphasis on innovation, sustainability and digitalisation.

Where his grandfather once fought against prejudices surrounding paper archives, he now builds hybrid models in which physical and digital preservation go hand in hand.

Three Generations, One Vision

Three generations, three stories, one company.
What began as a bold idea has become an established market player. Merak’s strength lies in its unique combination of tradition and innovation.

As André once said:
“The tide only turns if you keep believing.”

That conviction is more alive than ever in his grandson, who is determined to write the next chapters.

Meanwhile, the previous generations remain present in the background: the father — builder and guardian for many years — is still regularly consulted for advice. And the grandfather? He watches from a distance, smiling each time his grandson calls to share new plans and ambitions.

In this way, each in their own way, they remain connected to the story of Merak.