Dutch Wholesaler Sparks Outrage After Asking Low-Wage Staff to Fund Millionaire CEO’s Gift

Four thousand employees at Hanos received an email with a QR code asking them to donate money for a gift to founder Jan van der Horst.

The Dutch catering wholesaler generated approximately two billion euros in annual revenue, focus.de reported. The fundraising drive followed a company trip to the Efteling amusement park.

Employees were asked to contribute anonymously and on a voluntary basis to purchase a present for the family of the entrepreneur. The collection marks the 50th anniversary of the firm.

Many staff members at the enterprise earn the minimum wage of 14.99 euros gross per hour, according to focus.de. In contrast, van der Horst holds an estimated fortune of 540 million euros.

The 83-year-old founder ranks among the 105 wealthiest individuals in the Netherlands. Trade unions condemned the internal campaign given this massive disparity in wealth.

“When you possess so much wealth, it is shameful to ask such a thing from people who receive only a modest salary,” Linda Vermeulen, a representative of the Dutch Trade Union Confederation FNV, told focus.de.

“We consider this an internal matter of our family business,” the company said in a brief response to television broadcaster RTL, as noted by focus.de.

Van der Horst established the wholesale company in 1975 in Apeldoorn. He has consistently avoided public attention throughout his career.

The businessman previously tried to block his inclusion in the Quote 500 rich list through legal action in 2011, citing privacy protection and security risks associated with publicizing his wealth, focus.de reported.

Hanos operates as one of the largest international catering wholesale chains across both the Netherlands and Belgium.