Ralph Sonnenberg, the 90-year-old founder of Hunter Douglas, known for the Luxaflex brand, became the richest man in the Netherlands three years ago after selling a majority stake in his company to Brazilian investor 3G for €6.4 billion. Despite recent financial setbacks at Hunter Douglas, with a drop in results since 2021 and significant goodwill write-downs, the outlook for Sonnenberg remains positive, columnist Bartjens writes in Het Financieele Dagblad.
Sonnenberg still owns a quarter of the shares, which according to recent statements by 3G co-founder Alexandre Behring would now be worth more than €4 billion. This is due to a declined bid that values the company more than 2.5 times higher than 3G's initial investment. Despite its current financial challenges, Hunter Douglas has also successfully acquired SelectBlinds and plans for growth in Asia, indicating potential for future profitability and growth.
Source: FD.