Brenninkmeijer family

Brenninkmeijer is a Roman Catholic Dutch/German/Swiss family of manufacturers, which own an international chain of clothing stores. Originally the family came from Tecklenburger Land (Westphalia), selling linen in Friesland in the Netherlands. In 1840 two members of the family founded C&A company in Sneek. Their descendants discovered the potential of the stock of produced ready-made garment. Today, the family owns the Cofra Holding AG, based in Switzerland which in turn controls the C&A fashion business, a private equity company, a real estate fund and two banks. The company focuses its efforts on real estate, sustainable energy and financial services. History 19th century From the end of the 18th century several Brenninkmeyers lived in Sneek, where Herman and his son Andreas founded a company. They were seasonal wandering merchants (peddlers), but forced by juridical restrictions to settle. Around 1835 they were assisted by their relatives Clemens and August from Mettingen (and surroundings). In 1841, Clemens and August founded a company (C&A) and stocked their goods in a warehouse, eliminating the need to travel. Around 1853 Clemens lived in Mettingen and August in Sneek, at a distance of 200 km to the NW. This small town in the north of the Netherlands became the location of their first shop in 1860; selling linen and cotton fabrics, sheets, bedding but also complete wedding suites. (Clothing manufacturers were the first sewing machine customers, and used them to produce the first ready-to-wear clothing.) In 1881 a branch was opened in Leeuwarden, and in 1893 and 1896 in Amsterdam; the possibility to buy on credit was abolished and the company started to sell menswear. In 1897, the family stopped to go peddling. Meanwhile more relatives arrived from Mettingen as apprentices. A carefully designed rulebook ‘Unitas’ ensured that Brenninkmeyer sons and daughters enter the business in leadership positions at an early age, guaranteeing that the company was fully controlled by the family. 20th century