Dutch beer magnate Freddy Heineken
has died at the age of 78 at his residence in Noordwijk in the west
of the Netherlands. Freddy Heineken, who transformed the family
firm begun by his grandfather into one of the world's major brands,
had been in poor health since suffering a cerebral haemorrhage last
April. Heineken brewery management says the company will observe
four days of mourning. All green Heineken flags will fly at
half-mast.
In 1942, the then 18-year-old Freddy Heineken
first came to work at his grandfather's brewery. After the Second
World had ended, he was sent across the Atlantic on a major
assignment: to introduce the Heineken brand to the Americans.
Freddy was highly successful. His experience in the United States
had taught him the importance of marketing. It was Freddy Heineken
who gave the brand its distinct green colour and decided that the
letters "e" should be printed in a special typeface to resemble
smiling
faces. "I don't sell beer but gaiety," he was fond of
saying.
Under Freddy Heineken's direction, the company rapidly grew to become a worldwide operation, with outlets in all continents and a worldwide turnover of 4.449 billion euros in the first six months of last year.
Kidnapped
Mr Heineken was one of the richest men in
The Netherlands. In November 1983, his name hit the international
headlines when he and his chauffeur were kidnapped. For three
weeks, the two men were held in a deserted warehouse in the port of
Amsterdam, dressed in pyjamas and chained to the wall in separate
cells. Freed after payment of a 16 million euro ransom, the beer
magnate withdrew from public life and only rarely gave interviews.
However, he maintained a large circle of friends, which included
members of the Dutch Royal family and celebrities like Frank
Sinatra.
Firm Control
Throughout his life, Freddy Heineken kept
tight control over the family firm, buying a majority of shares in
1954. Although he resigned as company chairman in 1995, Mr Heineken
continued to be an active force behind the scenes. His carefully
picked successors would never take any major decision without first
consulting "mister Heineken". Even well on in years, he would go to
his office saying he had to "keep his brains active". Only
recently, it was announced he would step down this April as
management board chairman of Heineken Holding NV, which controls
Europe's biggest brewer. His daughter Charlene de Carvalho will
succeed him in Heineken Holding.
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Tags: beer, Dutch, Freddy Heineken, heineken, kidnap, Netherlands