Karel van Eerd (84), founder of the Jumbo supermarket chain, has died. Although he was ill for some time, he remained closely associated with Jumbo as chairman of the supervisory board until the last moment. The Van Eerd family says on the Jumbo website: “Karel, our father, has been a fantastic husband and father to us, a true family man. He will be greatly missed.”
Van Eerd was born on April 8, 1938 into an entrepreneurial family with five children. His father, together with his uncle, trained the first generation in the family business, a food wholesaler. Karel helps with business during the school holidays. Due to the poor health of his father, who suffered from heart problems, Karel was given responsibility for the company at the age of 18. Inexperienced, not fully prepared, but with a lot of initiative, he takes his father’s place.
Reward a lifetime’s work
“Karel has provided Jumbo with a solid foundation. We are therefore grateful and proud that he was able to receive the same royal predicate from Jumbo Food Group last year. A beautiful accolade and a crowning achievement for his life’s work,” said the family .
American study trip
In his youth, Karel becomes interested in supermarkets. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to sell directly to the customer than through a wholesaler? He takes a study trip to the United States, where he looks at Walmart, among others.
In 1983 Karel opens his first Jumbo supermarket in Den Bosch. In 1996, Jumbo had fewer than forty stores. By 2022, there will be more than 700. The growth is so rapid because the company is taking over several other supermarket chains, including C1000, Konmar and Super de Boer. In his study there was a military helmet with the inscription “AH, Here we come”. Karel was ambitious, that’s clear.
The growth of the supermarket chain does not harm the CEO. In the list of the richest Dutch people, the Quote 500, he was last seen at number seven with an estimated capital of 2.9 billion euros, 7 percent more than a year earlier.
Jazz lovers
Although you work hard, you also have time for hobbies. He is the nestor and pianist of the jazz band Birdie Seven. He has been playing the piano since he was seven years old (compulsory lesson on Wednesdays) and came into contact with jazz at the age of 16. “During the concerts of the best jazz musicians that I visit or have invited to play, on the one hand I feel that their level is unattainable, but it always inspires me to continue,” he says on the jazz band’s website.
Don’t rest on your laurels
In 2007, Karel Koninklijk was awarded an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau for his commercial achievements and social commitment. Karel will have been with the company for 50 years. In this festive year, Jumbo opens its 100th store and the company achieves a turnover of 1 billion euros for the first time. Karel indicates that he doesn’t want to rest on his laurels and continues to build the company with his sons. Since 2009 he has held the role of chairman of the supervisory board.
On the Jumbo website there is a condolence register opened.
How Karel van Eerd made Jumbo Supermarket great
