C\&A

   European chain of cloth stores, founded in the Netherlands by the brothers Brenninkmeijer: Clemens (1818–1902) and August (1819–1892)—hence C&A. They were two German hawkers who opened a textile factory in 1841 and a store 20 years later in the Frisian city of Sneek. In 1911, when C&Aalready had 10 branches in the Netherlands, the company began opening outlets abroad. By 2006, C&Ahad more than a thousand branches spread over 13 European countries. The stores in Great Britain, however, had to be closed in 2002, after a presence there for 80 years. The Brenninkmeijer family is one of the richest families in the Netherlands.