Brenninkmeijer (family)

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Brenninkmeijer ( alternative spelling: Brenninkmeyer) is the name of a large Dutch family with German roots.

The Brenninkmeyer family is the owner of Cofra Holding AG , which in turn owns the textile trading company C&A Mode KG , founded by Clemens Brenninkmeyer and August Brenninkmeyer .

The extended family of over 500 is one of the richest families in Europe with an estimated fortune of more than 25 billion euros . The Brenninkmeijers are considered secretive; Effective public appearances are avoided. All family members have a Dutch passport and everyone is a Catholic .

history

The family has roots going back to Mettingen ( Tecklenburger Land ) in the 17th century , from where their ancestors operated the so-called töddenhandel as peddlers. They settled in the 19th century in the Netherlands down, and the brothers C Lemens Brenninkmeyer (1818-1902) and A ugust Brenninkmeyer (1819-1892) founded in Sneek in 1841, the company "C & A", which is in its sixth generation in family ownership is .

Brenninckhof in Wiehe ( Mettingen ) in May 2006

The Brenninckhof in the Mettinger farming community in Wiehe is considered the original farm of the Brenninkmeijer family . The farm was first mentioned in a document in the 17th century in connection with the name Brenninkmeyer, as a fief of the Orange in Lingen , awarded to a Johann toe Twee called Brenninkmeyer then Brenninckhove. After the historic building along with the adjacent restaurant because of mining subsidence of the DSK was bought Anthrazit Ibbenbüren GmbH, a demolition was feared in the summer of 2005 initially. In the following summer, however, the DSK announced that it would renovate the Brenninckhof and convert it into a meeting center.

Information about the origins and history of the Brenninkmeijer family can be found in the "Tüöttenmuseum" Mettingen.

The Grönwohldhof manor house in Grönwohld , built in 1756, is still owned by the Brenninkmeyer family today.

tradition

A strict catalog of regulations means that the C&A company is still family-owned today. Only after a long apprenticeship , in which a son of the family proved to be capable, was this partner allowed to become a partner in the company, which was not possible for daughters for a long time. It was only since the 1990s that they have had the opportunity to complete their training in the company and advance to the management level.

As a rule, a Brenninkmeyer's career begins with simple tasks in the company. At the latest by the age of 30, the family members then take on their first management tasks .

Each of the twelve family lines has a domicile in Mettingen . The history of the dynasty can be followed in the cemetery, almost every Brenninkmeijer has found his final resting place there .

capital

In addition to the textile retailer C&A , real estate , private equity and financial services have also been part of the family's assets since the 1990s . Cofra Holding AG , based in Zug (Switzerland), has existed since 2001 and bundles all activities under one roof. The textile trade now only accounts for a good third of the company's total turnover. The Cofra Group employs directly or indirectly assets total about 50,000 people worldwide.

The shares in the company are not inherited and may not be sold. The right to buy shares is only given to those who hold one of the top jobs. The units will be returned at the latest at the age of 65 at their current value. Management positions are given up at the age of 55. The voting rights are distributed equally among the shareholders - regardless of the number of shares.

From the mid-1980s onwards, the company did not react at all to emerging competition such as Gap , Hennes & Mauritz or Zara, and later incorrectly. Fifth generation managing partners such as Norman R. and Dominic G. Brenninkmeijer focused less on the textile industry during the C&A crisis in the 1990s and now also viewed the Group's real estate as a source of money. The Brenninkmeijers entered real estate management with the company Redevco , which was founded for this purpose . The family now runs private equity companies through companies called Bregal Investments and Good Energies (a stake in the German solar cell manufacturer Q-Cells ) and Entrepreneurs Fund .

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

100% family-owned Cofra Holding AG
Textile trade property Private equity Financial services
C&A Redevco Bregal Investments
Entrepreneurs Fund 		Banco Ibi
C&A ( Mexico and Argentina )
more than
10 billion euros		 around
7 billion euros		 around
8 billion euros		 unknown value

In 2010 the Brenninkmeijer family had to write off a loss of at least 3.6 billion euros on the company "Good Energies".

Founded by C & A in 2000, Brazil's Banco Ibi SA and parts of its Mexican sister were in June 2009 for 1.4 billion real to the Brazilian bank Banco Bradesco sold.

REDEVCO

REDEVCO Immobilienverwaltung was founded in 1999 to manage the C&A houses. Initially, it had a property value of around 4 billion euros. Acquisitions mean that over 600 properties are managed across Europe.

Bregal Investments

"Bregal Investments" was founded in 2002 by the 6th generation of the family. Since then, over $ 9 billion has been invested in various industries.

Bregal Investments has the following business areas:

  • Bregal Capital - investing in Europe
  • Bregal Partners - Investing in North America and the Middle East
  • Bregal Energy - Investing in Renewable Energy
  • Bregal Sagemount - investing in fast growing companies
  • Bregal Private Equity Partners
  • Birchill Exploration - Exploration for oil and gas in Western Alberta

"Good Energies" was renamed "Bregal Energy" in 2012.

Among the 300 richest in Switzerland, the family took 6th place in 2018 with an estimated fortune of 15 to 16 billion Swiss francs .

Entrepreneurs Fund

Entrepreneurs Fund - Grow in Good Company - invests in sustainable small businesses. The EF was also involved in the photovoltaic manufacturer Q-Cells . EF is also involved in VasoPharm and Evolva, among others.

The Brenninkmeyer Panel (internal family dispute settlement body)

When the family member Alexander Brenninkmeijer founded a company called Alexander Brenninkmeijer GmbH & Co KG in 2004 to operate the fashion label called "Clemens en August", Cofra Holding saw its worldwide trademark rights to C&A being infringed by the choice of the brand name and sued. This surprised the young company and shook the relationship between the family members, as the project had been approved in advance by the group of shareholders, according to Alexander Brenninkmeijer. There was a five-year-long legal dispute, which by end 2009 compared was settled after Alexander Brenninkmeijer had won all court cases by then.

Part of the settlement was the establishment of an arbitration tribunal responsible for settling internal family business disputes in order to avoid similar disputes between the shareholders (“Sneekerkring”) and other family members in the future. The “Brenninkmeyer Panel” can act as a mediator , but also make binding and non-binding decisions. The committee should consist of at least five independent members who are usually lawyers and who are not allowed to have anything to do with the family. The current judges were appointed by the shareholders together with Alexander Brenninkmeijer on the basis of an arbitration agreement. The panel maintains a neutral office that any family member can contact. It works according to a set of rules that has been adopted by the family and is translated into three languages ​​for inspection. The work of the panel has already led to the first decisions and, for example, declared the exclusion of a partner from the group of entrepreneurs due to his divorce to be inadmissible. However, it is still open whether the facility will meet with lasting acceptance within the family and will prevail.

Family members

sorted alphabetically

  • Albert Brenninkmeijer (* 1974) married Princess Maria-Carolina de Bourbon de Parma , a niece of the then Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands , in 2012 in the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte in Florence
  • Aldegonde Brenninkmeyer-Werhahn, married to Hubert Brenninkmeijer since 1967, founder and director of INTAMS (International Academy for Marital Spirituality) in Brussels
  • Alexander Brenninkmeijer, founder of the international fashion brand "Clemens en August" (not a sub-brand of "C&A" and also not linked to Cofra Holding AG ), previously worked at C&A for 8 years , and was the Brenninkmeijer family's dispute settlement councilor
  • August Brenninkmeyer (1819–1892), founder of C&A
  • Bart Brenninkmeyer, CEO of C&A in Germany
  • Bernard Brenninkmeijer (1893–1976), founder of the "Liberna Collection"
  • Bernward Brenninkmeyer, freelance management consultant in Vienna, high-ranking C&A manager until January 2000
  • Clemens Brenninkmeijer (1818–1902), founder of C&A
  • Cornel G. Brenninkmeijer (* 1967, only brother of Dominic), in the management of the investment company Entrepreneurs Fund and chairman of the board of Medivita GmbH (business field health market)
  • Dominic G. Brenninkmeijer (* 1957), manager at the investment company Bregal Investments , previously head of the C&A headquarters in Düsseldorf
  • Erik Brenninkmeijer, Chairman of the Personnel Committee at Cofra Holding AG
  • Etienne Brenninkmeijer (including former Managing Director Redevco Germany, Redevco Italy, Redevco Austria, Redevco Central Europe)
  • George L. Brenninkmeijer (* 1954 in Glasgow ), founder and business angel of Brenninkmeijer Holding GmbH , previously with C&A for 24 years
  • Johannes Ludgerus Bonaventure Brenninkmeijer (1930–2003), Roman Catholic bishop of the Kroonstad diocese
  • Lucas Brenninkmeyer (1958–2020), Head of C & A's European business
  • Marcel Egmond Brenninkmeijer, member of the board of the subsidiary Good Energies , from 2003 to November 2010 member of the supervisory board (June 2009 to June 2010 as chairman) of the photovoltaic company Q-Cells
  • Martijn Brenninkmeijer
  • Maurice Brenninkmeijer
  • Michael Louis Maria Brenninkmeijer (* 1955), entrepreneur, Dutch governor of the Knightly Order of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem (since 2013)
  • Norman R. Brenninkmeijer, CEO of C&A in Switzerland
  • Philipp Brenninkmeyer (* 1964), actor
  • Philippe Brenninkmeyer, CEO C&A Europe
  • Stephen Brenninkmeijer, in the lead of the investment company Entrepreneurs Fund , lead of the venture capital fund Andromeda, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)
  • Theresa Brenninkmeijer (* 1959), 1998–2011 (deposed) abbess of the Cistercian abbey of Sostrup in Jutland (Denmark), which was closed in 2013 ; at the same time higher superior of the daughter monasteries of the abbey founded in the 2000s and also closed in 2013, including the Herz Jesu monastery in Düsseldorf; since 2008 Abbot General of the Bohemian Cistercian Congregation , which was dissolved in 2014 ; she now lives with remaining followers outside of the Cistercian order in a community that is not recognized by canon law (as of 2017).

literature

  • Bettina Weiguny: The mysterious gentlemen from C&A. The rise of the Brenninkmeyers . Eichborn, Frankfurt am Main 2005, ISBN 3-8218-5600-9 .
  • Tüötten Museum Mettingen: A museum within a museum. Museum guide . Heimatverein Mettingen eV Concept and editor: Bernhard Nonte. Heimatverein, Mettingen 2002, ISBN 3-932959-25-6 .
  • Ursula Schwarzer: "Clothes make the man" . In: manager magazin 10/2007, September 21, 2007, page 90.
  • Mark Spoerer : C&A A family company in Germany, the Netherlands and Great Britain 1911 - 1961, CH Beck 2016, ISBN 978 3 406 69824 8 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "History" , cunda.de .
  2. ↑ Vera Konermann: The Wiehe peasantry is losing its distinctive face , in: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung, July 16, 2005 ( Memento from April 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Vera Konermann: Brenninckhof plans are taking shape , in: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung, August 5, 2006 ( Memento of April 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ kreis-stormarn.de: mansions in Stormarn , accessed on April 5, 2013
  5. ↑ Loss of 3.6 billion . Dutch, accessed August 7, 2010
  6. ↑ Bradesco anuncia compra do banco Ibi por R $ 1.4 bilhão. In: O Globo , June 5, 2009, accessed November 29, 2019 (Portuguese).
  7. ↑ http://www.redevco.com/
  8. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from March 10, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ↑ Redevco brochure ( Memento of July 30, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  10. ↑ http://www.bregalcapital.com/
  11. ↑ http://www.bregalpartners.com/
  12. ↑ http://www.bregalenergy.com/
  13. ↑ http://www.bregalsagemount.com/
  14. ↑ http://www.bregal.com/bpep/
  15. ↑ http://www.birchill.com/
  16. ^ Good Energies Announces Name Change to Become Bregal Energy
  17. ↑ 10 richest Swiss own 203 billion francs. In: watson.ch . November 29, 2018, accessed December 1, 2018 .
  18. ↑ http://www.entrepreneursfund.com/
  19. ↑ a b "Selling Our Identity". Alexander Brenninkmeijer on a possible sale of the family business C&A and the new arbitration court of the traditional clan. In: Der Spiegel , No. 8/2018 (February 17, 2018), pp. 66–69.
  20. ↑ La Familia Real holandesa, en la boda de la princesa Carolina de Borbón y Parma Hola, June 16, 2012
  21. ↑ "There is a lack of casualness" , spiegel.de , October 27, 2005.
  22. ↑ Dominic Brenninkmeyer , in: Internationales Biographisches Archiv 08/2005 of February 26, 2005, in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of the article freely available)
  23. ↑ About us , brenninkmeijer-holding.de .
  24. ↑ Öko-Investor Brenninkmeijer - "The preservation of creation is a matter of course for me" , Spiegel Online from June 26, 2007, accessed June 16, 2012
  25. ↑ Silicon Saxony: Marcel Brenninkmeijer resigns from the Q-Cells Supervisory Board , January 18, 2011
  26. ↑ http://www.manager-magazin.de/magazin/artikel/brenninkmeijer-im-ca-clan-herrschen-archaische-sitten-a-1027466-3.html
  27. ↑ C&A: "Disturbing and shocking to my family". In: Zeit Online. July 13, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016 .
  28. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from July 16, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  29. ↑ Congregation Purissimi Cordis BMV in the Cistopedia.
  30. ↑ Annette Langer : Mother Theresa's ice-cold regiment. In: Spiegel Online . June 11, 2010, accessed August 9, 2019 .
  31. ↑ Ingrid Raagaard, Alexander Schuller: Shackles, beatings and solitary confinement in the monastery. In: Hamburger Abendblatt . June 16, 2010, accessed August 9, 2019 .
  32. ↑ Paul Josef Cardinal Cordes : Three Popes. My life. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2014, ISBN 978-3-451-80169-3 , p. 299.
  33. ↑ Jordana Schmidt : Giving away duck. Walking barefoot to myself. Rowohlt, Hamburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-499-62936-5 , pp. 174f.