Frits van Eerd
Frits van Eerd | |
|---|---|
van Eerd in 2019 | |
| Born | Godefridus Franciscus Theodorus van Eerd 25 March 1967 Veghel, North Brabant, Netherlands |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Racing licence | FIA Bronze |
| Championship titles | |
| 2021 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 Pro/Am |
Godefridus Franciscus Theodorus "Frits" van Eerd (born 25 March 1967) is a Dutch entrepreneur and racing driver. He was the general manager of Jumbo Groep Holding BV from 2002 to September 2022. As a racing driver, he won the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP2 Pro/Am category and co-founded Racing Team Nederland.[1][2]
Education and professional career
Van Eerd studied business administration in Utrecht and the United States. In 1992, he joined Jumbo, the family business founded by his father, Karel van Eerd. He started his career as a product manager of the bread department and later became supermarket manager. In 1996, he became general manager at Jumbo and in 2002 he was appointed general manager.[2]
As general manager, van Eerd led the expansion of Jumbo, which was characterised by strategic acquisitions. Under his leadership, Super de Boer and C1000 were acquired, establishing Jumbo as one of the largest supermarket chains in the Netherlands. Van Eerd remained general manager until his resignation in 2022.[3]
Criminal investigation and resignation from Jumbo
In September 2022, van Eerd was involved in a large-scale money laundering investigation. The FIOD raided his home and the Jumbo head office in Veghel,[4] The FIOD found €448,000 in cash, part of which hidden in a plastic bag in a refrigerator, mainly in five-hundred-euro banknotes.[5] Van Eerd was arrested and interrogated for five days.[5]
The trial against van Eerd began in September 2024.[6] He was suspected of accepting bribes, issuing false invoices and engaging in ‘habitual money laundering’; the frequent money laundering that it became a habit.[5]
In connection with the criminal case, van Eerd stepped down as general manager of Jumbo in September 2022 - initially temporarily for as long as the criminal investigation would last, but in March 2023 his departure became permanent with the appointment of interim CEO Ton van Veen as permanent chairman of the board.[7][3]
Van Eerd was found guilty of money laundering, accepting bribes and forgery on 7 August 2025, and was sentenced to two years in prison.[8][9]
Racing career
In addition to his business career, van Eerd was active in motorsport. He started racing in Formula Renault in 1993 and became Benelux champion in 1996. He also participated in rallies, including the Dakar Rally, and founded Racing Team Nederland in 2017, which participated in the European Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship. In 2019, his team won the 6 Hours of Fuji.[10] In 2021, van Eerd won the FIA WEC championship in the LMP2 Pro/Am category.[11]
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Formula Ford 1800 Nederland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 27th | |
| 2005 | Formula Ford 1800 Benelux - Div. 1 | Geva Racing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 10th |
| Formula Ford 1800 Netherland - Div. 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 42 | 9th | ||
| 2006 | EuroBOSS | Geva Racing | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 10th |
| 2007 | EuroBOSS | VES Racing | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165 | 11th |
| 2008 | TopGear Westfield Cup | Jumbo Supermarkten | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 22nd |
| EuroBOSS | 6 | ? | ? | ? | ? | 154 | 7th | ||
| 2010 | BOSS GP - Open Class | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 12th | |
| 2011 | BOSS GP - Open Class | Tyrrell F1 Team Holland | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 74 | 3rd |
| 2013 | BOSS GP - Open Class | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| 2015 | BOSS GP - Open Class | VES Benetton Racing | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 67 | 5th |
| 2016 | BOSS GP - Open Class | VES Racing | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 169 | 3rd |
| FIA Masters Historic F1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18th | ||
| 2017 | European Le Mans Series - LMP2 | Racing Team Nederland | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.5 | 17th |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 11th | ||
| 2018 | 11th Historic Grand Prix of Monaco | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 25th | |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 | Racing Team Nederland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7th | |
| Dutch Winter Endurance Championship | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 2nd | ||
| 2018–19 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 6th | |
| 2019 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 15th | |
| 2019–20 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 130 | 6th | |
| 2020 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 15th | |
| 2021 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 67 | 9th | |
| FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 Pro/Am | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 167 | 1st | ||
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 11th | ||
| European Le Mans Series - LMP2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | ||
| 2022 | IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 676 | 15th | |
| 13th Historic Grand Prix of Monaco - F1 '77-'80 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6th | ||
| 2024 | 14th Historic Grand Prix of Monaco - Serie F: F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1977-1980) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12th | |
| 14th Historic Grand Prix of Monaco - Serie G: F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1981-1985) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10th | ||
Source:[12]
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† As Van Eerd was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
‡ Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.
24 Hours of Le Mans
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Racing Team Nederland | Rubens Barrichello Jan Lammers |
Dallara P217-Gibson | LMP2 | 344 | 13rd | 11th |
| 2018 | Racing Team Nederland | Giedo van der Garde Jan Lammers |
Dallara P217-Gibson | LMP2 | 356 | 11th | 7th |
| 2019 | Racing Team Nederland | Giedo van der Garde Nyck de Vries |
Dallara P217-Gibson | LMP2 | 340 | 26th | 15th |
| 2020 | Racing Team Nederland | Giedo van der Garde Nyck de Vries |
Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 349 | 19th | 15th |
| 2021 | Racing Team Nederland | Giedo van der Garde Job van Uitert |
Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 356 | 16th | 11th |
| LMP2 Pro-Am | 2nd |
References
- ^ "Frits van Eerd - Jumbo-baas en autogek: 'Ik moet, ik zal, ik ga winnen'". De Ondernemer. 26 November 2017. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Frits van Eerd - Jumbo Supermarkten". Management Scope. 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023.
- ^ a b Das, Dayeeta (13 March 2023). "Jumbo Names Ton van Veen As New Chief Executive Officer". ESM Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "Witwasonderzoek: inval bij woning Jumbo-topman Van Eerd, 9 aanhoudingen". NOS (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2 February 2023.
- ^ a b c Persson, Michael (16 September 2024). "Verdediging bij begin strafzaak tegen ex-Jumbo-topman: 'Frits van Eerd is geen witwasmachine'". volkskrant.nl (in Dutch).
- ^ Yassin Boutayeb (16 September 2024). "OM vervolgt voormalig Jumbo-topman Van Eerd voor witwassen". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Frits van Eerd definitief weg als Jumbo-topman". NOS (in Dutch). 7 March 2023. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023.
- ^ O'Donoghue, Paul (7 August 2025). "BREAKING: Ex-Jumbo CEO Frits van Eerd jailed for 2 years over money laundering scheme". AML Intelligence. Archived from the original on 14 August 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ "Fmr. Jumbo CEO Frits van Eerd convicted of money laundering, fraud; 2 years in prison". NL Times. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ "Racing Team Nederland". Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
- ^ "Season 2021 results". FIA World Endurance Championship. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- ^ "Frits van Eerd". Driver Database. Retrieved 20 January 2025.