Insurance • Vander Haeghen

Brussels-based insurance company Vander Haeghen is offering a new policy to couples to protect them from rain ruining their wedding day. For a fixed premium, the company will reimburse all non-refundable costs of the wedding being washed out. Given Belgian weather, the premiums are stiff: The company cited an example of a wedding costing €20,000, for which the premium is €7,000. www.vdhunderwriters.be

Leather • Delvaux

Flemish designer Veronique Branquinho has stepped down as the creative director of luxury goods manufacturer Delvaux, days after it was announced that the company has been sold to the Chinese. Branquinho has been in the job since 2009, when she closed down her own business in Antwerp. The takeover had nothing to do with her decision, she said. “It’s time for something new.”

Publishing • Van Halewyck

Leuven-based publisher Van Halewyck is printing a record 200,000 copies of the first run of the new cookbook by chef Jeroen Meus. Dagelijkse Kost 2, named after the chef’s television show, appears in September. The first book sold 160,000 copies last spring, making it the fastest-selling book in Flemish publishing history, Van Halewyck said. Meus also runs restaurant Luzine in Leuven.

Security • Securitas

Swedish security company Securitas has become Belgium’s biggest security firm after the takeover last week of competitor Cobelguard, pushing G4S into second place. The deal was reported to have cost Securitas €38 million. At the same time, Securitas blamed lower sales and acquisition costs for a drop of 22% in second-quarter profits to €40.5 million.

Tourism • VVR

The Flemish Union of Travel Agencies (VVR) has called for tougher action to be taken against tour organisers who operate without a licence, which they claim is on the increase. Toerisme Vlaanderen issues licences on the government’s behalf to travel agents who have proved their financial stability and have taken action, including fines, against 12 illicit agencies in the last four years.