The story of: Peter van Driel – den Engelsman & van Driel in Sint-Annaland

Peter van Driel is the owner of den Engelsman & van Driel in Sint-Annaland. Together with his wife Lia and three other employees, he runs a spacious store with separate departments for women's and men's clothing, as well as wedding suits for men. His customers come from the wider region. Being enterprising and the contact with the customer are the aspects that motivate Peter van Driel.

The history of the current very spacious store in the Voorstraat in Sint-Annaland dates back to 1938. More than 30 years ago, Peter gradually took over the business from his parents. As an 18-year-old, everyone helped, but that was not his passion at the time. That came with time. The business expanded and grew to its current size. Customers from the wider area come to Sint-Annaland especially for this store. Not only residents from the municipality of Tholen, but also from Schouwen-Duiveland, Goeree-Overflakkee and West Brabant. Women's, men's and wedding clothes for the groom are the three pillars. In the clothing racks you will find high-quality brands such as Meyer, Roy Robson, Wilvorst and Olymp for the men and Donna Dura, Hermann Lange, Cadadia and Divas for the women. Affordable clothing of a very good quality that is mostly produced in Europe and where various brands also carry the Fair Trade label.

By fitting you immediately know whether it is right or not

“We are happy when our items – which have been purchased with great care – change hands,” says Peter. “When you visit our store, you know very quickly whether something fits you or not. That is the big difference with online purchases. A fellow shopkeeper said it recently; I started this shop not to send packages, but because we like to serve and advise our customers with their purchases. The box you unpack on the kitchen table says nothing to you, we do. In the store we really take the time for our customer, give him or her advice and we can also have clothes changed if necessary. If customers are happy with their purchase, so are we. And we are grateful that many people still find their way to our store.”

Do not buy elsewhere what Tholen offers you

If you have an affinity with the items and collections on offer in a shop in our village or municipality and you would like the range of shops to continue or, even better, to increase, then Peter van Driel uses a catchy slogan: don't buy elsewhere what Tholen offers you. .

In addition, when more people visit the physical stores, the range will automatically expand and the choice becomes wider. Physical stores also often reinforce each other. “It regularly happens that customers, also from outside the island, leave the store and say: now just go to this one or that one”, says Peter. “People who don't know a certain store should just walk in. Chances are you will be surprised. So be sure to visit this store and get extensive advice and inspiration.”