André Brantegem, who founded the Brantano brand with his brothers in the 1960s, died on Tuesday at the age of 89, his family announced on Wednesday.
The octogenarian had lived for three years in a nursing home. “He left in silence, without pain,” his family said.
Brantano was a Belgian chain of shoe stores that also offered a limited assortment of clothing. Brantegem’s children expanded the company, which had subsidiaries in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom.
After several takeovers, Brantano finally went bankrupt in 2020. The Dutch retail chain vanHaren then took over 40 Brantano stores.
