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An emotional night for Jacques Parson as he marks 25 years as Kappé shareholder |
NETHERLANDS. On an evening of stunning theatre and surprise in Amsterdam on Saturday, Jacques Parson celebrated 25 years since he became sole shareholder in Kappé. The family-owned company, previously run by his father, is the beauty and sunglasses concessionaire at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and also operates a distribution business.
Close to 300 guests from the Netherlands and overseas – including Parson’s family, colleagues, business associates and friends – were entertained in superb style at a gala evening on Saturday night, hosted by the retailer at the Royal Theatre Carré. The theatre has been an Amsterdam landmark for the past 125 years – and an institution of which Jacques Parson is one of the patrons.
Guests enjoyed an unforgettable night of theatrical and musical performances from a variety of leading Dutch performers. Parson himself entered the theatre seated on a chair that descended from the theatre’s ceiling, drawing gasps from the assembled guests, while three of his team – the Kappé Singers – performed several numbers on stage for guests.
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Jacques Parson and his wife Rena greet guests at the Royal Theatre Carré |
Parson told his guests: “I am grateful to have earned the trust of my father to be named as the shareholder in the business, and to be part of a company that has been in my family for several generations. Where we try to make the difference is in providing the best service we possibly can in our shops, and asking ourselves “˜What can I do better today than I did yesterday?’
“As a Dutchman it also makes me very proud to see the success of Schiphol Airport, and to be part of that success is very gratifying.”
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Kappé Managing Director Gemma Whelehan delivers a moving tribute; behind her is a mosaic of Jacques Parson, created from images of the entire Kappé team |
Kappé Managing Director Gemma Whelehan delivered a moving speech and tribute to Parson, invoking the principles that her own father – himself a retailer, in County Roscommon in Ireland – had brought to business.
“I learned from my father – the best retailer I ever knew – that business is all about people, about respect and about relationships. He never knew Kappé or saw what we do, but the values are the very same now as they were in his time. We are here to celebrate those relationships, and to underline that at Kappé we begin with respect, and from that everything else follows.
“You see a picture mosaic of Jacques here on the screen, made up of the faces of the staff members. The message is simple: together we are stronger. Every company needs a heart and soul, and Jacques has been that for Kappé for the past 25 years, and we hope he’s around to lead us for 25 more.”
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The Royal Theatre Carré, an Amsterdam landmark, was the venue for the evening |
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The theatre gave notice of a special one-off evening on its billboards |
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Guests were treated to a red carpet entrance and a welcome from the ‘paparazzi’ |
Tributes also came on the night from fellow concessionaire Benno Leeser of Gassan Diamonds, as well as Schiphol Group Chief Commercial Officer Maarten de Groof, Gebr Heinemann Co-owner Claus Heinemann and former ETRC President Frank O’Connell.
Leeser said: “Jacques is a great person and we have got to know each other well over the years, as Schiphol’s concessionaires work closely together. He has had his difficult periods, but he always been straight and come through them.”
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Jacques Parson with The Moodie Report’s Dermot Davitt at the Royal Theatre Carré |
De Groof noted: “Schiphol was recently voted once again as the best airport in Europe in the Skytrax survey. That is partly down to the ambience created by the retail environment, and within that, the perfumes & cosmetics stores are key, as are sunglasses. Jacques knows his business inside out, and thinks long term. He is very much part of the Schiphol family and is an inspiration.”
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Members of the Kappé team pay their tribute on the night |
O’Connell said: “Jacques is very loyal and committed to Kappé but he has given a lot to the industry too. In fact, the industry owes Jacques an enormous debt of gratitude for his time, commitment and the funding he has given to help protect the business.”
Claus Heinemann hailed the distribution partnership that Gebr Heinemann has with Kappé. He also cited the short-lived joint venture the two companies had with Aer Rianta International in Greece. “That joint venture may not have been a great success, but it was a period and a place where Jacques met his wife Rena, so it was a hugely successful time for him personally.”
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A series of superb Dutch acts thrilled the 300 guests |
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The ‘Kappé Singers’ – three staff members – were among the highlights |
In one of the highlight moments of the evening, Parson was presented with a special presentation by the Oskar Carré Foundation, which raises funds for the Royal Theatre Carré – in tribute to the support that he has given to the theatre company.
Founded by Frans Kappé, the company opened its first outlet at Schiphol in 1950 (a hairdresser’s salon) before diversifying into beauty retailing. Its first stand-alone fragrances store opened in 1966, and its first cosmetics stand-alone unit opened in 1983. Jacques Parson took over as Managing Director and sole shareholder from his father Bas in 1987. The company signed a five-year contract extension for its Schiphol concessions in 2010 – the year Kappé marked its 60th anniversary.
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Dermot Davitt at the event on Saturday night with Gebr Heinemann’s Harry Diehl, whose company has a long-standing distribution agreement with Jacques Parson’s Kappé |
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Kappé’s Gemma Whelehan with Michelle Davitt |
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A screen displayed images of Jacques Parson’s career over the past 25 years |
