With a rich history dating back to the 1970s, Starline has been a pioneer in the Dutch swimming pool industry. Over the years Starline has developed into the leading pool manufacturer, with a high reputation for quality and reliability. Starline’s story goes beyond just its products. It is a story of people who have worked with passion and dedication to meet their customers’ expectations.
The story of Starline Group began in 1973, when Tini de Nier started his own company. In 1979, his brother Frans de Nier joined the company. While Tini had extensive technical knowledge, Frans was extremely business-minded. Together they had a shared dream and passion: to build the best and most beautiful swimming pool. The seed for Starline was planted. Quality and innovation have been the common thread throughout the company since the very beginning.
When they started, swimming pool culture in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe was quite underdeveloped. Furthermore, building pools took a lot of work and there was a limited supply of materials in the Netherlands. As a result, the de Nier brothers decided to import prefabricated pools, filtration units, covers, built-in parts and chemicals from America and resell them. This formed the basis for a wholesaler which laid the foundation for Poolquip®.
An important milestone during this period was the development and production of the Roldeck®: a fully automatic slatted cover. The imported covers did not meet expectations and nowhere in the world was there a full-fledged product for sale as a replacement. So there was only one thing to do: develop and produce one in-house. As a result, Roldeck® became a forerunner in the world of automatic, safe and energy-saving pool covers. This innovation made Starline stand out within the industry and opened doors to the European market.
Even after a major expansion, the building at De Vest 24 had become too small. In 1991, a piece of land was purchased further along De Vest and a brand new building was constructed. This became the largest pool showroom in Europe: The Swimming Pool Info Centre, a representative showroom with various landscaped pools both indoors and outdoors. From this central location, national and international customers received information and advice about swimming pools. In the same year, a one-piece polyester pool was also introduced for the first time. Until then, building pools meant digging a big hole, pouring concrete, and tiling it or covering it with foil: things that took a lot of time and energy and could quickly go wrong. This is why polyester pools that were quick and relatively easy to install were subsequently imported from Spain – and eventually became the turning point for Starline.
In 1992, the Van der Most polyester factory in Twello was taken over. At that time, it already produced some plastic products such as polyester filters and element pools for Poolquip. This company was continued under the name Starline Industries. Thanks to this acquisition, Starline gained access to the polyester technology and total control over the production process.
In 1993, Tini and Frans made the radical decision to stop importing polyester pools from Spain, despite sales going well. The quality simply did not live up to their expectations. They therefore decided to develop a Monoblock pool and market it under the brand name Starline, leading to the creation of the Starline Monoblock®: an exclusive, unique and stylish pool that became a leader in the swimming pool industry. Besides the advantages in terms of aesthetics and quality, this pool offered additional safety benefits for children. The Starline dealer network was also set up in the same year – initially only in the Netherlands, but soon with a number of branches in Belgium and Germany. Since then, the Monoblock® has been sold exclusively through authorised Starline dealers.
In 1997, Tini and Frans saw an increasing demand for wellness products and quickly responded by expanding the range with their own sauna line, infrared cabins and whirlpools. Sundance whirlpools were imported from America. This led to great success, making the company a trendsetter in the wellness industry.
Since founding the company in 1970, Tini and Frans, together with members of their family, had remained actively involved in the Starline Group. This changed in 2008 when Tini made the difficult decision to sell Starline to the Van Gansewinkel family. Although some family members continued to work for Starline until early 2010, it was then the right time to step back and focus on new things.
2010 saw a milestone in Starline’s history: the opening of its new high-tech factory in Pelt. This state-of-the-art production facility was designed to meet the growing demand for high-quality composite pools and products. With modern equipment and an efficient production process, the factory could provide world-class products to customers worldwide. In 2011, the production of the covers also moved there. The total production area is 65,000 m². In the years that followed, innovations in the production process continued and the company focused strongly on sustainability and responsible production.
In 2014, Starline Group strengthened its international position in the field of pool covers by acquiring Ocea Belgium and Ocea UK. This acquisition was an important step for Starline in the growth and expansion of the entire brand, further strengthening its presence in the European market. By integrating Ocea’s knowledge, experience and network, Starline was able to further expand and improve its offering.
2019 saw Starline’s third acquisition. This time Starline Group took over the company Poly Products, based in Werkendam, which already had 50 years’ experience in developing and producing fibre-reinforced products and constructions. The acquisition strengthened Starline’s position in the field of fibre-reinforced products in the Benelux region. Both companies kept their own names and operate independently from their current locations, making use of mutual expertise and synergies. Starline Group and Poly Products have also worked together on multidisciplinary projects ever since.
In 2021, Starline launched the Sterck brand. This brand was introduced to offer a new pool line in a different material and with flexible dimensions. With the launch of Sterck, Starline demonstrated its commitment to continuous innovation and improvement of its product offering, along with its determination to meet changing market needs and expectations. The pools are made of Polystone® PG, a top-quality chlorine-resistant polypropylene that stands out because of its amazing durability and its recyclability. These attributes contribute to a sustainable future.
Starline’s last major event took place in 2022. Irrespective of the huge increase in sales in the previous years, the main shareholders of Starline Group decided to sell the shares to CF Group. This acquisition marked a new phase in Starline’s growth and provided numerous benefits for the company and its customers. CF Group, one of the major players in the European swimming pool industry, has a wealth of experience, expertise and stability within the sector. Partnering with CF Group has opened doors to new markets, as well as shared expertise in advanced technologies and production processes.