Purveyor to the Court Frank Vanpraet
Handing over the Award of Royal Warrant Holder of Belgium

In December 2017, VPS received certificate of Royal Warrant Holder of Belgium. Our company is proud to have been the supplier of fitness equipment of King Filip for years.

In 2016, the choice was made to sell the fitness and power equipment range on-line as well. After having sold fitness equipment for three decades, both in the shop and in the fitness rooms, the time was ripe to make this range of products available on the Internet in a simple way in a digital catalog.

Home screen webshop Homefitness
Warehouse 1 central

VPS continued to grow over the years and we invested in a large warehouse where we could accommodate the ever-growing stock and a workshop with the necessary spare parts. Currently we have a storage capacity of 3000 m2 with a very spacious parking and loading zone.

Casting of the first red “Van Praet Sport” weight plates in 1981 under the supervision of Georges Vanpraet. These dumbbell discs were cast in Belgium in an artisanal way. Due to the high cost price, they later switched to imports from China.

Frank Vanpraet weightlifting
Frank Vanpraet Competition Woluwe 1986

“Boutique Vanpraet” remained a famous clothing store in Flemish Brabant for years. Around 1979, Frank Vanpraet began to grow in the judo sport and Father Georges Vanpraet expanded his range with sportswear and judo suits. In view of the need of power for judo, son Frank began weightlifting. Then it was still a problem to buy dumbbells and barbells and so Georges saw a new market in the production of discs and barbells. Then the name of the boutique was transformed into “Vanpraet Sport”. The foundation of of VPS International was finally started.

shop Confection G. Vanpraet 1964
Shop and Atelier Georges Vanpraet

Georges Vanpraet started his own ready-to-wear children’s clothing in 1962 and sold both to wholesalers and in the shop downstairs. During the clothing crisis in Belgium, production was phased out and Georges switched to the sale of women’s clothing and later also men’s clothing. Only later did judo suits join since the establishment of the Judo club In Merchtem where he was also chairman for a long time. Martial arts were already in his blood.

VPS International has a long history who starts around 1931 when Benoît Vanpraet, Georges Vanpraet’s father, already sold all kind of products to the local people. That went from clothing to caps, oil lamps and scissors. Doing business was in the genes. During WW2 it was a very hard period and it was doing business to survive and feed his family. As it was the trend in those years he visited all his customers with his bike, loaded with all kind of things to sell.

Benoît Vanpraet 1946
Benoit Vanpraet ready to leave for the customers