Bar magnate Sjoerd Kooistra found dead at home

Bar and restaurant magnate Sjoerd Kooistra has been found dead at his home near Nijmegen, probably due to suicide, his friend and lawyer Oscar Hammerstein stated on Monday evening.


Kooistra has been involved in a number of court cases over complicated tenancy agreements for his cafes and bars.
He lost two top location bars in May this year when brewing group Heineken evicted him, following a dispute over unpaid bills. According to the Financieele Dagblad, Kooistra is said to have owed Heineken at least €1m unpaid rent and a further €10m in other costs.
Disputes
He was also involved in a legal dispute with the InBev brewing group.
Hammerstein accused Heineken on Radio 1 news of hunting Kooistra to his death.
Kooistra owned 85 cafes and bars, many in Groningen and Amsterdam, and in May valued his empire at €200m.

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