John Van Lieshout
John Van Lieshout is an Australian billionaire, the founder and former owner of the Amart Furniture store chain.
Early life
Born in the Netherlands in 1946, Van Lieshout is one of 13 children of Karel van Lieshout, a plasterer, and his wife, Anna, who emigrated to Australia in 1960, initially processed at Brisbane's Wacol Migrant Camp.Van Lieshout has a high school diploma.
Career
Van Lieshout is the founder and former owner of the Super A-Mart furniture store chain. He sold Super A-Mart in 2006 for 500 million, and moved into property development. Through his Unison Projects Group, he has acquired 600 housing blocks and 200 townhouses in the Brisbane area.Other members of the family have founded businesses, and the family is known in Australia as the "kings and queens of furniture", having founded chains including Empire Office Furniture, Super A-Mart, BW Coles, Chevron and the Woolstore.