Brenninkmeijer family

Brenninkmeijer is the name of a large Dutch family with German roots. She is the owner of Cofra Holding AG, which in turn owns the textile trading company C & A Mode KG was founded known by Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer.

The more than 500 -member extended family counts with an estimated fortune of more than 25 billion euros of the richest families in Europe. The Brenninkmeijers are considered very secretive; effective public appearances are avoided. All family members have a Dutch passport, each committed to the Catholic faith.

History

The assets of the family comes from the roots of the family back to the 17th century after Mettingen ( Westphalia), operated from where their ancestors so-called Töddenhandel as peddlers. They settled in the 19th century settled in the Netherlands and the brothers Clemens Brenninkmeijer ( 1818, † 1902) and August Brenninkmeijer (* 1819, † 1892) established in Sneek 1841, C & A, which is now in sixth generation of family ownership.

As Urhof the Brenninkmeijer family is the Brenninckhof in Mettinger peasantry Wiehe. The farm was first mentioned in the 17th century in connection with the name Brenninkmeijer, as a fief of the House of Orange in Lingen, awarded to a Johann toe Twee called Brenninkmeijer then Brenninckhove. After the historical building had been together with adjacent restaurant bought up due to mining subsidence of the DSK Anthracite Ibbenbüren GmbH, a demolition was feared in the summer of 2005 initially. The following summer, however, the DSK announced renovate the Brenninckhof and converted into a community center want to.

A whole range of information about the origins and history of the Brenninkmeijer family can be found in the " Tüöttenmuseum " Mettingen.

Built in 1756 mansion Grönwohldhof in Grönwohld is owned by the Brenninkmeijer family.

Tradition

A strict set of rules leads to the C & A is still family owned. It was only after a long training, in which a son of the family has shown itself capable of this partnership was to be in the company, daughters was not possible for a long time. Is only since the 1990s, even for them the opportunity to complete the training within the company and advance to the executive level.

In general, the career of a Brenninkmeijers with simple tasks within the company begins. At the latest 30 years take over the family members then their first management role.

Each of the twelve branches of the family has a home in Mettingen, but here you can meet mostly only during the holidays or for a funeral of a family member. The history of the dynasty is to follow in the cemetery, almost everyone Brenninkmeijer will find his final resting.

Besides the textile dealer C & A since the 1990s, including real estate, private equity and financial services to the area of ​​family assets. Since 2001, the Cofra Holding AG is headquartered in train ( Switzerland ), which bundles all activities under its umbrella. Meanwhile, the textile trade includes only one-third of the company, which employs 50,000 people.

The shares in the company are not inherited and can not be sold. The right to buy shares, only gets who holds one of the top jobs. This will be returned no later than age 65 to the current value. Management positions are already abandoned at age 55. The voting rights are among the partners equally distributed - regardless of the number of shares. Anyone wishing to leave the company, the shares of the holding must submit and gets additionally in danger of falling out of favor with the rest of the family. Moreover, should not be returned to the company.

From the mid- 1980s the company first did not react to emerging competitors such as Gap, Hennes & Mauritz and Zara and later false, managing partner of the fifth generation as Norman R. and Dominic G. Brenninkmeijer fixed during the C & A Crisis in the 1990s years less on the textile industry, and now considered the property of the Group as a source of money. Now the Brenninkmeijers topped with founded this company REDEVCO in real estate management. Even private equity company now operates the family about the companies BREGAL Investments, Good Energies ( involved in the German solar cell manufacturer Q -Cells ) and Entrepreneurs Fund.

The assets of over 25 billion euros is made up as follows:

2010, the family Brenninkmeijer has to write off a loss of at least 3.6 billion euros at Good Energies.

Banks Banco Ibi S. A. in Brazil and Mexico Ibi Services in mid-June 2010 were sold to Banco Bradesco Brazil.

REDEVCO

The REDEVCO Property Management was established to manage the C & A Homes 1999. At first she had a real estate value of about 4 billion euros. Through acquisitions over 600 properties are managed across Europe now.

BREGAL Investments

BREGAL Investments was established by the 6th generation of the family in 2002. Since then, U.S. dollars have been invested in various industries over 9 billion. BREGAL Investments has the following business units:

• BREGAL Capital - Investment in Europe
• BREGAL Partners - investments in North America and the Middle East
• BREGAL Energy - Investments in renewable energies
• BREGAL Sage Mount - investments in fast-growing companies
• BREGAL Private Eyuity Partners
• Birchill Exploration - Exploration of oil and gas in Western Alberta

Good Energies is absorbed into BREGAL Energy.

Entrepreneurs Fund

Entrepreneurs Fund - Grow in Good Company - is investing in sustainable small businesses. Thus, the EF was also involved in the photovoltaic manufacturer Q -Cells. EF is also involved in the Vasopharm and the Evolva.

Family dispute

When Alexander Brenninkmeijer the label Clemens en August created, you saw violates the trademark rights. The legal process by Cofra Holding AG was completed in 2009.

Family members

• Clemens Brenninkmeijer (1818-1902), founder of C & A
• August Brenninkmeijer (1819-1892), founder of C & A
• Erik Brenninkmeijer, Chairman of the Personnel Committee of Cofra Holding AG
• Dorothee Brenninkmeijer ( b. 1950 ), married to Dr. Robert Baumruk
• Etienne Brenninkmeijer (including former Managing Director Redevco Germany, Italy REDEVCO, REDEVCO Austria, Redevco Central Europe )
• George L. Brenninkmeijer (born 1954 in Glasgow ), Founder and Business Angel of the Brenninkmeijer Holding GmbH, before 24 years at C & A
• Dominic G. Brenninkmeijer, manager at investment firm BREGAL Investments, previously head of the C & O 's headquarters in Dusseldorf
• Cornel G. Brenninkmeijer ( * 1967, only brother of Dominic ), in the management of the investment firm Entrepreneurs Fund and CEO of Medivita GmbH ( business segment healthcare market )
• Lucas Brenninkmeijer, head of the European business of C & A
• Marcel Egmond Brenninkmeijer, CEO of the investment firm Good Energies, from 2003 to November 2010 Member of the Supervisory Board (from June 2009 to June 2010 as chairman ) of the photovoltaic company Q -Cells
• Michael Louis Brenninkmeijer Maria ( born 1955 ), entrepreneur, Dutch governor of the Equestrian Order of the Holy grave in Jerusalem (since 2013)
• Norman R. Brenninkmeijer, Switzerland boss
• Bart Brenninkmeijer, CEO C & A Germany
• Stephen Brenninkmeijer, in the management of the investment firm Entrepreneurs Fund, management of venture capital funds Andromeda, Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship ( NFTE )
• Stephan Brenninkmeijer (* 1964 in Door Werth ) film producer
• Philippe Brenninkmeijer, actor
• John Ludgerus Brenninkmeijer Bonaventure (1930-2003), Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Kroonstad
• Alexander Brenninkmeijer, creator of the fashion label Clemens en August (no C & A label), before 8 years at C & A
• Theresa Brenninkmeijer, abbess of the Cistercian monastery Sostrup in Jutland (Denmark), founded in 2004 and head of the Cistercian monastery of the Sacred Heart in Dusseldorf as well as two other monasteries of their order in the Czech Republic and Peru.
• Albert Brenninkmeijer ( b. 1974 ), married in 2012 at the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte in Florence Princess Maria Carolina de Bourbon de Parma, a niece of former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
• Aldegonde Brenninkmeijer - Werhahn, since 1967 married to Hubert Brenninkmeijer, founder and director of INTAMS (International Academy for Marital Spirituality ) in Brussels