Four siblings are the main owners of JAB Holding in Luxembourg. Renate Reimann-Haas, Wolfgang Reimann, and their half-brothers Matthias and Stefan Reimann-Andersen together hold around 90% of the shares in JAB, an investment firm which manages around 40 billion dollars. The siblings form the core of the family that controls a sprawling group of companies. Their wealth has its roots in the chemicals firm Benckiser, which is based in Pforzheim.

The Reimanns only became truly wealthy after the 1999 merger with the British group Reckitt. What followed was an unprecedented expansion that gave rise to a vast consumer goods empire, with stakes in cosmetics company Coty and Amsterdam-listed coffee giant JDE Peet’s. Not all businesses have fared well recently: British sandwich chain Pret A Manger, owned by JAB since 2018, posted an operating loss of 452 million pounds in 2024.

JAB Holding has recently begun to retreat from coffee. JDE Peet’s is being sold to US drinks group Keurig Dr. Pepper, a company JAB itself created in 2018 through the merger of Keurig and Dr. Pepper. Keurig plans to separate coffee from its other beverages. For the Reimann family’s holding company, the exit from coffee marks a significant moment. The 15.7 billion euros deal aims to create a competitor to Nestlé, the global leader in coffee, by merging and spinning off the coffee businesses of JDE and Keurig.

Going forward, JAB intends to be less involved than before, retaining only a 5% stake in each of the newly created global coffee company and the drinks manufacturer. The company says that the proceeds from the JDE Peet’s sale would leave it well placed to pursue further acquisitions. It expects more than 12.5 billion dollars in cash proceeds, putting JAB „in an ideal position to seize strategic opportunities in our consumer and insurance segments.“

In April 2025, JAB underwent a generational shift. Founder Peter Harf (78), who had made the Reimanns wealthy through shrewd investments over more than four decades – and in the process became rich alongside co-founder Olivier Goudet – stepped aside. Both men have built personal fortunes of more than 1 billion dollars each, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Under new leadership, JAB is adjusting its strategy. Managing partners Joachim Creus and Frank Engelen continue to run the group as co-chiefs, with Creus serving as chairman and Engelen as deputy. Creus, an expert in international tax law, previously held senior positions in law and tax at Siemens, Rödl & Partner and Tiberghien Lawyers.

For years, JAB expanded its investments in food and beverages. In 2020 it floated JDE Peet’s, created through the merger of Jacobs Douwe Egberts and US roaster Peet’s. By acquiring Mondelez International’s stake, JAB increased its holding in the coffee maker to 68% in 2024.

Now the group is shifting course. One reason is the tougher competition and rising costs facing food companies. JAB has signaled it will focus on new business fields. Building on its success in pet insurance, the holding wants to develop a global life-insurance platform. The strategy, launched in 2021, is intended to give JAB a second pillar alongside consumer goods.

In pet insurance, JAB is mainly active through subsidiaries Independence Pet Holdings and Pinnacle Pet Group. Together, the two platforms encompass some 20 insurers across various countries and include other pet-health services such as veterinary clinics. Pet health accounts for about 30% of JAB’s assets.

The pet business has also become increasingly attractive for private equity firms. They are acquiring pet-food discounters and veterinary practices to build larger regional monopolies. EQT bought Zooplus, while Cinven invested in Fressnapf. EQT also holds a majority stake in veterinary group IVC Evidensia. The business is considered resilient, as most people are reluctant to cut spending on pets even when finances are tight.

In February, JAB acquired New York–based Prosperity Life Group for a reported 3 billion dollars. The insurer, with assets of more than 25 billion dollars, is intended to serve as the foundation for a global platform. „The inverse correlation between the consumer goods and insurance sectors, owing to their different sensitivities to factors such as interest rates, creates a hedge that will reduce the volatility of our portfolio“, JAB wrote in its annual report.