Eric de Kuyper near Nijmegen in Kranenburg in Germany, about from the Dutch border, as does the main character of de Kuyper's short story "De verkeerde krant," ("The Wrong Newspaper"). De Kuyper has said that he feels at home both in Belgium and the Netherlands to a certain degree, as well as somewhat of a stranger in each of the countries. De Kuyper's first novel ("Aan zee: taferelen uit de kinderjaren"; "By the Sea: Scenes from a Childhood") consists of a series of insightful snapshots of a small boy's life in post-World War II Brussels and family summer vacation at Ostend.Together, they conjure
Lucas Bols access to Remy's joint venture worldwide distribution alliance, Maxxium. The synergies of the combined company were immediately felt. Remy reported a string of strong earnings and profit growth, until a weakening dollar and a temporary drop in sales of Bols Vodka in Poland due to taxation and counterfeiting issues hurt 2003 results. Results in 2004 remained weak, but strong growth was noted of the vodka brand throughout Eastern Europe, and Maxxium committed considerable resources to modernizing the Bols image, including new packaging and refocusing on a youth driven market. Bols was awarded "Best Brand Re-Launch" by the trade publication Drinks