Value Square in one word? Involvement

Value boutique

Since its founding in 2006, Value Square has positioned itself as a niche value boutique in the Belgian landscape of asset managers. Commitment and fidelity to style are key. "We are not a utility company or a supermarket, but a fund boutique with a very distinct style.

That's according to a conversation with Wim Descamps and Thomas Maes (pictured), both directors and partners at Ghent-based Value Square. It is part of a series of conversations with smaller asset managers.

Value Square is strict and has stuck to the tried and tested concept of value investing since day one. What sets it apart is its focus on (European) small- and mid-caps and the range of funds for legal entities (FDI funds).

Recently, the group's organizational chart has been further professionalized by attracting highly experienced people like Koen Hoffmann and Kris Hermie, in the role of CIO. According to Descamps, there are temporary market inefficiencies, especially in Europe, that you can take advantage of as a value investor, especially in the small- and mid-cap segment.

Proximity

'Proximity to the customer is hugely important. After all, we are entrepreneurs ourselves. The bond with some well-known industrial families in Flanders is very close. That is our biotope. Our market share can still grow by a factor of 6 or 7 in our own region,' explains Descamps.

Involvement

Commitment is the word that typifies Value Square, according to Descamps. 'I have found texts from before we were licensed in early 2007, and even then we talked about commitment. It is central to everything we do and typifies our relationship with the client, who is therefore also less likely to panic when the market is down. The biggest value destruction happens by getting in and out of the market, because sooner or later you are blatantly wrong.'

Descamps also mentions the annual meeting of the Bevek, which attracts some 200 to 300 investors. Company visits to companies are also often organized. "We cultivate that involvement in every way, because we want people to stay invested.

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Via Investment Officer's website: https://www.investmentofficer.be/nl/nieuws/value-square-een-woord-betrokkenheid

Disclaimer

This article was written at the initiative of Investment Officer and was not sponsored by Value Square; it was reproduced in full.