Hulshout (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Aquinos Bedding in Hulshout declared bankrupt, leaving 97 employees unpaid. Production collapsed to 183 mattresses in May 2025. Workers face temporary unemployment, and ACV’s Gunther Van Sant warns of uncertain futures.
As VRT News reported, the mattress company Aquinos Bedding in Hulshout, in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, has been declared bankrupt. 97 employees are losing their jobs. Despite the investment, the company faced long-term financial problems.
According to Gunther Van Sant of the ACV union, Aquinos had many orders but did not have enough money to buy raw materials. Van Sant said the lack of funds made production impossible.
“Normally, 25,000 mattresses are produced monthly. In May, that number was only 183 more.”
Gunther Van Sant, ACV
What led to Aquinos Bedding’s bankruptcy and 97 Job losses in Hulshout?
The situation escalated when the court declared Aquinos Bedding bankrupt on Monday, Sep 8, 2025. 2 trustees were appointed to manage the bankruptcy and speak with the staff. Gunther Van Sant of the ACV union noted that the Belgian mattress market is crowded, which makes it difficult to realise.
Aquinos Bedding in Hulshout was originally part of the Belgian company Recticel. In 2019, the company was acquired by the Portuguese group Aquinos for €122 million, a deal covering operations beyond Belgium. Production dropped sharply from the normal 25,000 mattresses per month to only 183 units in May 2025.
Since November 2024, employees at Aquinos Bedding in Hulshout have been placed on temporary unemployment multiple times. From May 2025, the workers were scheduled to come to the factory one day per week, while remaining on temporary unemployment for the other 4 days.
Even when they reported to work, there was no production because the company did not have enough raw materials to make mattresses. Employees continued to show up and work for the group, but they have not been paid since June 2025. Their company cars were also returned, as they could not be used without wages.
