Els Blokker, widow of the Dutch Blokker retail group founder Jaap Blokker, and her two children have found themselves on opposite sides in court in a dispute over the family fortune, Dutch media reported.

The conflict, which puts the Blokker family in a spotlight they normally avoid, centres around the fortune Jaap left to his widow Els and their two sons, Mark and Erwin.

Jaap Blokker and his brother Albert inherited the Blokker retail chain in the 1970s, and by buying up chains such as Intertoys and Xenos, built it up into a highly successful business. But the company has since suffered serious setbacks.

Jaap Blokker did not trust his sons to be part of the company, fearing they might fritter the money away. He stated in his will that his widow would retain the legal right to manage the sons’ share of the inheritance, including the voting rights in the businesses.

However, Els Blokker, in a decision she said in court she came to regret, decided to allow her sons “to gain business experience” by taking up a position on the board of family firm Nardinc Beheer, a limited company worth around €1 billion.

Blokker and her lawyers claimed the sons soon showed they were completely incapable of handling the business. Erwin never showed up at board meetings, they claimed and allegedly spent the €10 million under his control on day trading and buying a brothel. Mark did not take any responsibility, signing whatever was put in front of him, the lawyers said.

The situation reached boiling point in 2023 when the two brothers refused to incorporate the company which managed their money into Nardinc, which was then told to leave told to leave the Nardinc premises in Laren.

The brothers then started a “vulgar and aggressive” campaign against their mother and other board members, which included an email containing a death threat.

Els Blokker’s lawyers also cited an attempt by Mark, who, like his brother, was adopted, to prove Jaap Blokker was his father by falsifying a DNA test. Based on the test he blackmailed his mother into recognising him as Jaap’s biological son, threatening to “ask the court to open the grave” if she did not comply.

The aim of the brothers, Els Blokker said, was to escalate the conflict in order to get their hands on half the family fortune, which prompted her to fire them from the board.

Lifestyles

Both Mark and Erwin denied their actions and lifestyles warranted their dismissal and are demanding the judge order the appointment of an independent board member at Nardinc.

They also want an independent review of the management of the company, because, their lawyers said, they don’t trust their mother’s financial advisers who they claim profit “excessively”.

Lawyers for the brothers admitted the mails were inappropriate but did not present a real threat. As for their alleged profligate lifestyles, they said the brothers were “moderate” spenders. Mark has an apartment in Laren and a “small apartment” in Andalucia. Erwin lives in Spain with his family and owns a house in Austria. “They buy a new car every once in a while but that’s it,” the lawyers said.

On a personal note, an emotional Els Blokker said the conflict had “completely ruined family relationships”, and that she has been stopped from seeing her grandchildren.

Els agreed with the appointment of an independent board member but is adamant the brothers must not return. “The threats have caused an unsafe working environment for the people who are working hard for the family,” she said.

The case continues.