80 years of partnerships Benno & Yves

PARTNERSHIP

Benno: How would you describe our partnership?

Yves: Loyal. Loyalty is incredibly important to both of us. We also place great value on quality. Mistakes are allowed, but preferably not too often.

Benno: And certainly not the same one twice.  

Yves: No, absolutely not. Fortunately, we feel we can call each other out on things, unfiltered. In the past, that mostly came from GASSAN. You were further along than I was, which makes sense given the age difference. These days, it’s much more balanced. Our partnership is built on blind trust. If you want to embark on new ventures together, you just have to go for it. You never know what the outcome will be anyway.  

Benno: Exactly.

Yves: We both believe in a top-down structure, too. The CEO bears ultimate responsibility. I say what I think, and that works. GASSAN is top-down, but with a family feel, just like us. Those shared values are the foundation of our collaboration.

Benno: That’s absolutely true. Ideally, I wouldn’t even sign a contract, but that is just not possible in this day and age. We shake hands, and then we’re all in. Especially in the diamond trade, it used to be like that. You’d say 'mazel’ to wish each other luck, and no contract was ever signed.

Yves: I feel the same. Sadly, that’s hardly possible nowadays. But we could still do it, I think.

MASTERS EXPO

Yves: I still remember the first time I sat here, in this very room. Do you remember when that was?

Benno: That was more than 25 years ago.

Yves: Back then, you said, “I don’t believe in advertising.” You literally said that.

Benno: That’s right.

Yves: I thought, if you don’t try it, you’ll never know. You were actually one of the few people who immediately understood the name Miljonair. There weren’t many who did.

Benno: I thought it was a brilliant name. Still do.

Yves: But it wouldn’t work nowadays. When I organised the Miljonair Fair in 2002, you had your doubts, just like you did about advertising. At the first edition, held in the passenger terminal at Schiphol Airport, you took part modestly with a 36-square-metre stand. Other companies went big, and you saw that it worked. And that’s when your strength came into play, one I truly admire. For the next edition at the RAI, you said, “I want 500 square metres and exclusivity in Hall 12.”

ELIZABETH HURLEY

Yves: Elizabeth Hurley opened the fair at the RAI in 2005. It was still called the Miljonair Fair in those days. She was my favourite.

Benno: Yes, Champions League, to put it in football terms.

Yves: She was genuinely lovely. I asked her, “Would you open the fair?” She said, “If you make sure my husband buys me a beautiful diamond piece, I’ll do anything for you.” At one point, we were walking around, and I took her hand; it was just fantastic. Luckily, my wife Tamara found it all quite amusing. I’m not sure I’d be as relaxed if she were strolling around like that with Hugh Grant... 

AROUND THE TABLE

Benno: Once MASTERS EXPO is over, we sit down here to evaluate everything. After that, we draw up the contracts for the new year. From GASSAN, several people often join us; more than on your side.

Yves: I usually come on my own.

Benno: We talk, but no one else really understands a word of what we are saying. 

Yves: True. It involves serious amounts of money, and you always do the same thing. You stand behind your desk and then start punching numbers into that old-fashioned calculator of yours. Then you sit back down at the table and tell me what you think is reasonable, and most of the time, I just have to go along with it. What exactly are you tapping into that little calculator of yours?

Benno: What I believe is fair for both parties.

Yves: Sometimes we have twelve different items to go through, and nobody can follow us, so we’re forced to put it down on paper.

Benno: Outsiders try to understand our relationship, but they never really get it. No one understands how we make it work. But we understand each other down to the last detail. The most important thing is that we trust one another and, of course, we both want to make money.

Yves: You shouldn’t try to be ‘clever’ in a deal.

Benno: I don’t believe in that either.

Yves: If you lack empathy, it always goes wrong. Especially in a partnership that spans decades, you have to understand each other.

Benno: Working together at a high level also means giving each other the space to perform at a high level.

FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL AND MORE FOOTBALL

Yves: One big advantage we have is that we share the same hobby in our private lives, namely: football, football and more football. We just don’t support the same club. I understand a lot about Benno, but everyone’s entitled to a deviation.

Benno: Fortunately, it’s not a deviation. Speaking of loyalty, I’d say a Feyenoord supporter is more loyal than an Ajax fan. Ajax has its own charm, of course, but it’s different to Feyenoord. I’ve been at Ajax–Sparta matches where Sparta scores right at the end, and suddenly I’m left with only half the crowd, the rest have already left.

Yves: That’s not true, and I should know, because I was there. Yes, some people did leave, but it was no more than 2% of the 50,000. That’s 1,000 people. And that 2% is always the problem, in every issue: in the stadium, on the street, in politics, you name it. 

Benno: What’s your favourite football memory?

Yves: One of the happiest moments of my life was in May 1995, when Ajax won the Champions League final. That euphoria, that feeling, it’s impossible to describe. I had the same feeling during Real Madrid - Ajax in 2019. Instead of going to Madrid, I had dinner with my sons Yossi and Lior, at Aan de Poel in Amstelveen. I didn’t want to jinx it, but I just knew we were going to win. And they did, 4–1, in such a way that even the Real Madrid fans applauded us. That was pure joy. And to be able to share that with my sons… that’s the most beautiful thing there is.

Benno: That I get.

Yves: Discussing this now, I have to say that was a bit of a disappointment in our relationship. During that 2019 period, Ajax were playing fantastic football. But you didn’t call to congratulate me.

Benno: That might very well have been deliberate.

Yves: I do support Feyenoord when they play in Europe. I like it when they win, and I can even enjoy it. But you can’t bring yourself to feel the same way when Ajax beats Juventus. That really is a deviated way of thinking. 

Benno: You’re allowed to say that. 

FRIENDSHIP

Yves: We talk about football, but also about life. Gossip, relationships, everything.

Benno: What we have is an exceptional friendship, and I really believe in that. I believe in friendship, in trust, without all the complicated nonsense. What I really value in you is your boundless creativity. We’ve both been through rough patches, that’s part of entrepreneurship, but you must never betray who you are. And you’ve been a great example of that. That matters far more than a euro more or less.

Yves: Friendship never starts in good times. When things are going well, you’ve got loads of friends. But real friendship is tested when things go badly, and we’ve both been there. That’s when you support each other. Not because you need to, but because that is what friendship is.

Benno: For better or for worse.

Yves: Exactly. That’s in your DNA. And we share that. The way we think, the way we live, it’s rare, and I truly cherish it.

Benno: We’re very similar, but you are far more creative than I am.

Yves: You’re more of a leader. I’m the ideas guy. I see something and want to go for it right away.

Benno: Like that podcast. We’ve had a few debates about that.

Yves: You don’t get it.

Benno: Some good things do come out of podcasts, but I don’t understand a damn thing about them.

Yves: What don’t you get?

Benno: That there are so many podcasts…

Yves: What difference does that make? There are many cars too.

Benno: I’m not tech-savvy. I still use a paper diary, and I check football scores on Teletext, page 819. Modern aren’t I? But I love it.

Yves: You’re often hesitant at first, but then you come around, and that’s a good thing. Someone needs to be the cautious one.  

GROCERIES

Yves: On Saturdays, we often call each other about our groceries. Where do you get your bread? Which butcher do you go to? You’ve got your favourite spots, and so do I.

Benno: I go to three different bakeries.

Yves: I’ll go out of my way just to get my salmon from Beethovenstraat. I get my vegetables from a specific greengrocer, and I prefer to buy bread from Le Fournil.

Benno: De Groentejuwelier has amazing vegetables, but the juices are best at Vork on Maasstraat.

Yves: I’m also very particular about getting the right cold cuts. And for apple pie, it has to be Kuyt. Tamara doesn’t get any of it.

FAMILY

Yves: Working with family isn’t so much about being an advantage; it’s more of a desire. It has to happen naturally. You have to want to work together, not feel obligated. For me, family is the most important thing. I think you’re exactly the same. If we’ve just been to a Feyenoord–Ajax match and we’re driving back to Amsterdam, you’ll call Kitty six times to tell her everything that happened. And honestly, I’m the same. When I close a deal, Tamara’s the first person I call. You have to celebrate success. Don’t go over the top, just work hard, but enjoy it together. Sharing happiness is a beautiful thing.

Benno: I completely relate. How are your sons doing?

Yves: Yossie is operationally responsible in our business. He’s different to me, he’s technically minded, while I’m more outgoing. We work really well together, but I’m not throwing him straight in at the deep end. Everything in its time. Lior is 26 and studying architecture. It’s his third or fourth course. He didn’t finish the others, but he’s doing brilliantly with this one. He’s quick-witted and fearless, but he still needs to grow into life. Most importantly, he needs to choose his own path.

Benno: And what would you most like to teach them?

Yves: To work hard and to understand the value of money. I think it’s terrible that cash is disappearing. Kids don’t learn the value of money properly anymore. I still convert everything back to guilders, 2.2037.

Benno: I still do that too.

Yves: A cup of coffee for €8.50, that’s 20 guilders! It’s ridiculous. I was raised to turn a dime into a quarter. You have to earn your money. It’s not a goal, it’s a resource. I think we see that the same way. You’re always open with me about profits.

Benno: I’m not very money-driven. Honestly, it doesn't interest me at all either. 

Yves: Me neither. You are not money-driven at all.

Benno: I also believe the person I’m doing business with has to benefit, too. Otherwise, what’s the point? That’s the big difference between a family business and a listed company. We think long-term.

Yves: That’s why Ajax should come off the stock exchange.

Benno: You’re absolutely right. They never should’ve gone public in the first place. They’ve got no business being there.  

MAYOR

Yves: A city is something we build together.

Benno: What you just said is absolutely key. I have been trying for years to get the Mayor to attend the MASTERS EXPO. I don’t think she should be so hesitant about it. An event like this brings so much to the city: taxi drivers, hotels, restaurants... That is why I was pleased the Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs visited there last year.

Benno: Why shouldn’t the Mayor of Amsterdam come to MASTERS EXPO? 60,000 people attend...

Yves: 40,000...

Benno: Let’s call it 50,000 then, we’ll meet in the middle. If 50,000 people are interested in such an event, surely the Mayor should at least make an appearance?

Yves: Her absence sends a message... It says she doesn't think it's important.

Benno: I just think she should experience it for herself, at least once.

Yves: If that is the mindset, it will be the city itself that suffers in the end. Because the city belongs to all of us, and we have to do it together. Yes, there’s competition, yes, people disagree, but when you’ve got a Mayor who isn’t neutral, and that’s what this is about, then you’re on the wrong path.  

Benno: That “togetherness” applies especially to the MASTERS. The entrance has to be smooth, the food and drinks well-prepared, and the toilets spotless. At MASTERS, you are the mayor.

Yves: And you are the deputy.

Benno: I am also the doorman. Like a barker outside a bar, coaxing people in.

Yves: You are the best doorman in the Netherlands. You bring everyone in and seat them at the GASSAN tables. Those are always in high demand. We talk about those tables often, and sometimes we even argue over them.

Benno: I prefer fewer tables that are properly full.

Yves: I like having a few more tables.

Benno: That is how it always goes. You and I talk about everything, but at the end of the day, we are still bickering over tables. That’s just how we do business.

FINAL THOUGHT

Yves: You narrate what you experience, and I immediately give my opinion on it. You leave room for conclusions; I like to draw them. 

Benno: And it works.

Yves: At GASSAN, everything’s a journey. Customers feel seen. That’s what I love about working together: we help each other and always strive to do better. That’s part of our mindset. And that brings us right back to the beginning: loyalty. You can always find a better deal somewhere else, but you can also choose what feels right and what makes you happy.