An entrepreneurial spirit.

/A strong track record.

Throughout its long history, entrepreneurship has been at the heart of Mitiska’s activities. From its beginnings as an investor in retail businesses, Mitiska is today the family office of the Geuten family with a diversified portfolio spanning private equity, real estate and asset management.

A brief history

Mitiska has its origins in an opportunity recognised by Luc Geuten and Leon Seynave in the 1970s. During their studies in the United States, Luc and Leon were impressed by the strong growth and development of specialised retail businesses in the US and wanted to replicate such opportunities in Europe.

In 1975, in a joint venture with the Danish Jensen Taepper group, they started Carpetland in Belgium. Carpetland was quickly followed by participations in other specialised retail businesses including Brantano, AS Adventure, Pizzaland, New Vanden Borre, Heytens, …

1980

1990

Mitiska was created as a company in 1990 to further develop the business as an active private equity investor. Since then, Mitiska has invested in more than 30 retail companies among which the most well-known were AS Adventure, Brantano, Proxis/Club, Van De Borre, Heytens and Cassis/Paprika, and was an investor in a very early-stage venture capital internet fund, Net Fund Europe. Mitiska has also been a successful investor in non-retail companies, which include Innogenetics, Recticel and Nanocyl, in addition to broadening its expertise and portfolio of retail-related real estate. In 1999, the group conducted an IPO, opening up the company to third-party investors.

2009

In 2009, Mitiska was delisted to become the investment vehicle of the Geuten family, to focus on private equity, real estate and asset management, whilst maintaining a strategic operational focus on investments and developments in retail real estate. Mitiska’s original private equity team went on to create the successful independent private equity player, Vendis Capital, in which Mitiska was a major investor and initial partner.

Mitiska Reim

In 2012, Mitiska co-founded Mitiska REIM with Axel Despriet as a real estate investment joint venture, bringing together a team of experts in both retail operations and real estate. Today, Mitiska REIM has raised several funds and is the leading specialist investor in convenience-based multi-use locations in Western, Central and Eastern Europe.