Brenninkmeijer family
The Brenninkmeijer family is a Dutch-German-Swiss business family associated with C&A and the privately held Cofra group.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Brenninkmeijer family is a Dutch, German and Swiss Roman Catholic business family whose commercial history is closely connected with the international clothing retailer C&A. The family originated in the Tecklenburger Land of Westphalia in Germany. From the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, members of the family operated as travelling merchants, selling linen and other textiles in the northern Netherlands. Restrictions on itinerant trading encouraged them to establish a more permanent presence in Sneek, Friesland. In 1841, Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer founded the business that became C&A. Initially, the enterprise dealt in linen, cotton fabrics, household textiles and bedding. It later developed a retail model based on selling finished clothing, including ready-made garments at a time when much clothing was still made to measure. The family opened its first shop in Sneek in 1860, followed by branches in Leeuwarden and Amsterdam. During the late nineteenth century, the business expanded from fabrics into menswear and discontinued its earlier reliance on peddling. A family governance system known as Unitas helped preserve ownership and placed family descendants into management roles. A major turning point came in the early twentieth century under Bernard Joseph Brenninkmeijer. In 1906, he introduced a fixed-price discounting approach in Amsterdam, using lower mark-ups to encourage higher sales volumes. This became an important element of the C&A retail formula. C&A expanded across the Netherlands, entered Germany in 1911 and opened a London store in 1922. After the Second World War, the business benefited from post-war economic growth and extended its international presence. Its later expansion included Belgium, Switzerland, France, Spain, Japan, Portugal, Mexico, Eastern Europe, China and Brazil, although several markets were subsequently exited or sold. The family’s interests have extended well beyond apparel retail. The modern family enterprise is organized principally through Cofra Holding AG, a Switzerland-based private group. Its activities have included C&A, real estate through Redevco, private equity through Bregal, investment and asset management through Anthos, and financial-services operations. The group has also invested in sustainable energy and other long-term assets. Some historical North American retail holdings, including businesses associated with the American Retail Group and the Canadian Comark group, were later sold. Philanthropy is another central feature of the family’s public identity. Family charitable activity has supported Catholic institutions and a wide range of international social initiatives. Since the 1990s, philanthropic work has been coordinated more centrally through organizations including Porticus and Benevolentia. The family also established the Draiflessen Collection in Mettingen in 2009, a museum and cultural institution concerned with family history, art and social questions. The family remains privately controlled and is associated with a network of family branches and foundations rather than a publicly traded holding company. Professional, non-family executives have increasingly led operating businesses. Alain Caparros became the first non-family chief executive of C&A Europe in 2017, followed by other external leaders including Giny Boer. In 2024, Charlotte Brenninkmeijer became CEO of Porticus. The family’s contemporary business model combines retail, real estate, investment management, private equity, financial services, sustainable energy and philanthropy.
History
The Brenninkmeijer family traces its roots to the Tecklenburger Land in Westphalia, Germany. From the late eighteenth century, members of the family were active as travelling textile merchants. Several settled in Sneek in the Netherlands after legal restrictions made itinerant commerce more difficult. Herman Brenninkmeijer and his son Andreas established a local trading presence, while relatives from Mettingen, including Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer, joined the enterprise during the 1830s. In 1841, Clemens and August founded the company that became C&A. The early business stocked goods in a warehouse rather than relying solely on travelling sales. Its first Sneek shop opened in 1860 and sold linen, cotton, bedding and other household textiles, as well as complete outfits for special occasions. Branches followed in Leeuwarden in 1881 and Amsterdam in the 1890s. The business gradually moved into menswear and ready-made clothing, and the family ended its peddling activities in 1897. Relatives from Mettingen continued to enter the business as apprentices. The family’s internal rulebook, Unitas, formalized succession and management practices and helped retain control across generations. Bernard Joseph Brenninkmeijer became a significant figure in the development of the company’s modern retail model. In 1906, he introduced fixed prices and a low-margin discount format in Amsterdam. Instead of relying on the conventional retail mark-up, the model sought to generate profit through increased sales volume. This formula became a defining commercial principle for C&A. By 1910, the chain had ten Dutch stores. It entered Germany in Berlin in 1911 and the United Kingdom with an Oxford Street store in 1922. The business expanded after the Second World War alongside broader European consumer growth. It opened its first United States store in 1948 and later entered Belgium, Switzerland, France, Spain and Japan. During the 1980s, C&A used designer collaborations involving figures such as Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld, following an earlier collaboration with Twiggy in the 1960s. Portugal and Mexico were added during the 1990s. The company also expanded into Eastern Europe and China in the twenty-first century, while launching online retail in Germany in 2008. Operations in the United Kingdom and Denmark were closed in 2000, and the Mexico and China businesses were later sold to local investors. The family’s ownership structure broadened beyond apparel. Cofra Holding AG became the principal group associated with the family and coordinated interests in C&A, real estate, investment management, private equity, financial services and sustainable energy. Redevco developed and managed real estate, Anthos provided fund and asset-management services, and Bregal operated as a private-equity platform. Earlier North American retail interests included Eastern Mountain Sports, Maurices, Steinbach, Ohrbach’s and other businesses, while the Canadian Comark group included Bretton’s, Clark Shoes and Collacut. The Canadian operations were sold in 2005. Family philanthropy has historically supported Catholic institutions and other social causes. Since 1995, organizations including Porticus and Benevolentia have provided more centralized structures for charitable activity. The family established the Draiflessen Collection in Mettingen in 2009, creating a cultural institution dedicated in part to the history and social responsibilities of family enterprise. The family also includes individuals active in fields outside commerce, including culture, entertainment and religious life. In the twenty-first century, management of the operating businesses has become more professionalized. Alain Caparros became C&A Europe’s first non-family chief executive in 2017. Edward Brenninkmeijer held the position in 2019, and Giny Boer became chief executive in 2021 as the first woman to lead the European business. Charlotte Brenninkmeijer became CEO of Porticus in 2024. The family remains privately held and continues to combine commercial ownership with investment diversification and organized philanthropy.
- 2024
Charlotte Brenninkmeijer becomes CEO of Porticus
[1]Charlotte Brenninkmeijer was appointed chief executive of the family’s philanthropic organization Porticus.
- 2021
First woman leads C&A Europe
[1]Giny Boer became the first woman to head C&A Europe.
- 2017
First non-family CEO leads C&A Europe
[1]Alain Caparros became the first non-family chief executive of C&A Europe.
- 2009
Draiflessen Collection established
[1]The family founded the Draiflessen Collection cultural institution in Mettingen.
- 2008
C&A online retail launches in Germany
[1]C&A introduced online retail operations in the German market.
- 1995
Philanthropy becomes more centrally organized
[1]Family philanthropic activity began to be coordinated more centrally through organizations including Porticus and Benevolentia.
- 1922
C&A enters the United Kingdom
[1]A store opened on Oxford Street in London.
- 1911
C&A enters Germany
[1]The company opened its first German store in Berlin.
- 1906
Fixed-price discounting introduced
[1]Bernard Joseph Brenninkmeijer introduced a low-margin, fixed-price retail format that became central to C&A’s commercial model.
- 1860
First permanent shop opens in Sneek
[1]The family opened its first shop in Sneek, selling fabrics, household textiles and clothing.
Products and positioning
A privately controlled, multigenerational family enterprise combining mass-market apparel retail with long-term investment, real estate, financial services, sustainable energy and philanthropy.
Apparel retail · 1841
C&A
C&A is the family’s best-known operating business. It began as a textile and fabric merchant and developed into a mass-market retailer of ready-to-wear clothing. Its assortment has included womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, basics and seasonal fashion. The chain expanded across numerous European markets and into selected markets outside Europe, while also adopting designer collaborations and online commerce.
Real estate
Redevco
Redevco is the family-associated real-estate platform. Its activities center on the ownership, development and management of commercial and urban property. Real estate forms one of the principal diversification areas of the family enterprise alongside retail, investment management and private equity.
Private equity
Bregal
Bregal is the family-linked private-equity platform operating through Cofra. It invests in businesses across multiple sectors and has included investments in the United States fishing industry, among other activities. The platform represents the family’s shift from reliance on operating retail businesses toward diversified long-term capital deployment.
Investment management
Anthos Fund & Asset Management
Anthos is the family-associated fund and asset-management business. It has expanded beyond managing family capital to provide services to external clients such as pension funds, foundations and faith-based organizations. Its stated investment orientation includes responsible and impact-focused approaches.
Philanthropy · 1995
Porticus
Porticus is a family-linked philanthropic organization that coordinates international grant-making and social initiatives. It forms part of the more centralized philanthropic structure developed by the family from the 1990s onward.
Cultural institution · 2009
Draiflessen Collection
The Draiflessen Collection is a cultural institution established by the family in Mettingen. It presents art, historical material and exhibitions connected with family enterprise, social issues and the wider cultural context of the Brenninkmeijer family.
Controversies
2016
Historical scrutiny of the family business during the Nazi era
Historical research and publications examined C&A’s conduct during the Nazi period, including reported benefits from expropriated Jewish property and the use of forced labor. The subject has remained part of the historical assessment of the family business in Germany.
Marketing campaigns
- 1981Designer collaborations with Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld
Europe
C&A worked with Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld as part of its designer-led fashion strategy.
Outcome. The initiative extended the retailer’s association with recognizable fashion names while retaining its mass-market positioning.
- 1967Twiggy collaboration
Europe
C&A worked with the British model Twiggy as a designer, linking the retailer with contemporary fashion and popular culture.
Outcome. The collaboration formed part of C&A’s broader use of prominent fashion figures to promote accessible clothing.
Brand decisions
2021
Appoint first woman to lead C&A EuropeStrategyBackground
C&A continued to refresh the leadership of its European retail operation.
Action taken
Giny Boer became chief executive of C&A Europe.
Aftermath
Boer became the first woman at the top of the European C&A business.
2019
Continue non-family management of C&A EuropeStrategyBackground
Following the appointment of an external chief executive, C&A Europe continued its professional-management model.
Action taken
Edward Brenninkmeijer held the chief executive position during this period.
Aftermath
The leadership transition demonstrated that the family’s ownership could coexist with non-family or professionally structured management.
2017
Professionalize leadership of C&A EuropeStrategyBackground
The family business increasingly relied on professional managers for its operating companies.
Action taken
C&A Europe appointed Alain Caparros as its first non-family chief executive.
Aftermath
The appointment marked a visible shift from direct family leadership toward external executive management.
2008
Launch online retail in GermanyProduct launchBackground
The growth of digital commerce created a new channel for the established store-based apparel retailer.
Action taken
C&A launched online retail operations in Germany.
Aftermath
The move extended C&A’s sales model beyond physical stores.
1906
Adopt fixed-price, low-margin retailingStrategyBackground
Traditional retailers commonly relied on relatively high mark-ups. Bernard Joseph Brenninkmeijer identified an opportunity to compete through lower prices and greater sales volume.
Action taken
C&A introduced fixed prices and reduced its mark-up in an Amsterdam store.
Aftermath
The approach became a defining element of the C&A formula and supported subsequent chain expansion.
Sources4 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/brenninkmeijer-family · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled