History

In 1926 Mr. Herke Schoonenberg established his first optic, photographic and hearing aids store in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. After his retirement his son (Gerard Schoonenberg) took over the business and expanded it to 23 stores

In 1985 Groeneveld Winkelbedrijven (Groeneveld) took over Schoonenberg. Groeneveld was an optical retail company with 100 shops throughout the Netherlands, 20 of which had a hearing aid department

In 2000 Groeneveld was sold to HAL Investments. By then Schoonenberg hearing aid activities had a turnover of 17 million euros from 35 specialized shops and 34 optical stores with a hearing aid shop-in-shop or agency

Between 2000 and 2006 Schoonenberg sales increased to more than 70 million euros thanks to organic growth, acquisitions and new stores. In 2006, after a successful buy and build strategy in the Netherlands, AudioNova International was incorporated to support international extension

During 2006 international activities were focused primarily in Germany and Belgium. In 2007 AudioNova International continued its expansion through the acquisition of stores in France, Denmark and Italy. In 2008 Portugal was added to this list with the acquisition of more than 20 stores.

Ultimo 2009, AudioNova was active in 7 countries, operating 468 stores with a turnover of appr. 181 million euros

Today AudioNova International is a leading player in Europe. HAL Investments fully supports the current expansion strategy and is committed to financing further growth