About Us


The Company CRAENEN BVBA


Founded by Marc Craenen and Katrien Missinne (Mr and Ms Craenen) in 1987.

CRAENEN BVBA is a Belgian distributor and manufacturer concentrating on maps and travel guides.

Our company is the market leader in Belgium/Europe for the following products:

  • detailed and topographical maps of various countries
  • specialised guides for trekking, walking, climbing and cycling in Dutch, French and English.
  • For distant global destinations we work with the best publishers.
  • Craenen bvba is the distributor of ELMAR publishing for Flanders and of NELLES guides (Dutch and French) for the BENELUX
  • globes: Craenen bvba is the main distributor of "Stellanova" for the BENELUX-market
  • Craenen bvba is a manufacturer of magnetic and pin boards, with the ability to produce cartographical products finished into multi-board systems (sliding display systems, swivel unit, map roller box with laminated maps)


The BENELUX and the UK are our "home markets": Craenen bvba is the main distributor for many publishers (today 26 non-UK publishers) directly into the British market.

Next to the distribution in our home markets, we’ve also built up a European network for our own publications ("Maps International": a series of flat world and continental maps and for the products manufactured in our workshop) and for some foreign publishers (Australian, American and South-African) for whom we develop sales and availability into Europe with an exclusive contract.

Our clients are book shops, chains (e.g. Fnac, Standaard Boekhandel, Waterstones...), outdoor stores (Decathlon, AS. Adventure, Cotswolds, Go Outdoors, Bever Zwerfsport, Globetrotter Germany...) and specialized map and travel guide shops over the whole of Europe.

"Maps International", our own maps series, we also distribute to other continents.
In short: we are a Belgian company that is highly internationally focused.

In addition to sales and distribution, Craenen bvba also owns a specialized travel book shop in the centre of Brussels: "Anticyclone des Açores".

The Team


The company is being managed by two directors: Marc Craenen and Katrien Missinne (Ms Craenen). We have 22 employees in Belgium, two in the UK and one in the Netherlands.