Jan De Clerck: Domo strategist with a fortune of €850M and Industrial Expansion
Jan De Clerck
Jan De Clerck, Group owner Domorepresents the next generation in the entrepreneurial line established by his father, Roger De Clerck, founder of Beaulieu. At the heart of its activities, Domo Chemicals is a major player in the production of technical yarns, essential to the carpet industry in Germany and Belgium. The sale of Domo Floorcoverings to group Balta marked a strategic shift, giving Domo Chemicals a prominent position within the group, complemented by investments in real estate and private equity, with assets of over 850 million euros.
Despite a valuable industrial heritage attributed by Roger De Clerck to his son, the relationship between Jan and his father was tinged with dissonance, notably following a significant fine paid by Jan to the Belgian tax authorities. Passionate about travel, hunting and horses, Jan leads hunting expeditions around the world, targeting major game.
The painful episode of the kidnapping of Jan's son Anthony De Clerck on his way to school remains etched in our memories. The release followed a 32-day period of captivity, after payment of a substantial ransom. The event culminated in the capture and condemnation of the kidnappers.
Jan De Clerck, now dedicated to retirement, testified to the family's enduring influence on current affairs and the public mind. Anthony, active in Spain in the real estate sector, is renowned for his marriage to Cynthia Botton Jiménez. As for Gregory De Clerck, he is perceived as a calm, judicious manager, in contrast to Anthony's fiery temperament, reminiscent of their grandfather.
Jan De Clerck Jr, another member of the siblings, is active in the real estate through the Alinso family group, highlighting the diversification strategy of the company's investments. the De Clerck familygradually moving away from textile and chemical industries.
In a notable maneuver, chemical giant Solvay and the German group BASF sold their polyamide division to Domo Chemicals in 2019, boosting the latter's sales from 900 million to 1.6 billion euros, a consolidation that Jan supported with a 300 million euro investment. This expansion reflects an unchanged ambition and dynamism in the industrial sphere, despite Jan de Clerck's gradual orientation towards other sectors and a fortune approaching the billion euro mark.
