2023-10-31 11:13:00
Big moves in real estate
Very quickly, Aldo Vastapane, of Italian origin, caught the business bug. At the age of 25, he created the Vastapane Establishments which, at the time, managed different brands of wines and spirits, thus following in the footsteps of his father, founder of the Martini & Rossi Belgium company. He was also known by the nickname “Monsieur Martini-Belgique”. Then its interest shifted to the automotive sector, becoming the importer in Belgium of the Simca brand, then of Mercedes-Benz. A task he held until the mid-1970s.
But it is probably in the real estate sector that Aldo Vastapane will earn most of his fortune. In particular, he was closely associated with Manhattan, a vast office real estate project in the Northern District of Brussels.
The man was also at the head of Générale des restaurants, a company behind which we find the always prestigious Brussels restaurant “La Maison du Cygne”. In the world of luxury, Aldo Vastapane was also the importer for Belgium of the Italian brand Gucci from 1982, before this activity was taken over by the parent company.
A relative of Albert Frère
But very early on, Aldo Vastapane also became familiar with the world of air transport and airports. So in 1958, he obtained the operation of the first Duty Free Shop in Brussels-National. He will then contribute to the development of Skyshop, a company operating duty free stores in several airports. And in Zaventem, he will also become a co-shareholder of Interparking.
He was said to be close to the late Albert Frère, the Carole business magnate. The two men had also done business together, notably through the Distripar holding company (Belgian Sky Shops, Planet Parfum, etc.). Aldo Vastapane had also served as a director on the board of directors of GBL, one of the listed companies of the Frère empire. On a more private level, Vastapane had acquired a breeding farm of more than 30,000 animals in Congo at the request of Albert Frère.
The Sobelair episode
At the beginning of the 2000s, Aldo Vastapane, who was also honorary president of the Belgian-Italian Chamber of Commerce, returned to the news in the wake of the bankruptcy of Sabena at the end of 2001, a few weeks following the September 11 attacks. At New York. Indeed, to everyone’s surprise, he took back control and gave new life to Sobelair, the former charter subsidiary of the Belgian national airline.
Passionate regarding aviation but also regarding South Africa, where he owned a property, he notably opened a destination to Johannesburg. But the air adventure would not last: in January 2004, and failing to generate sufficient profitability, Sobelair would in turn fall into bankruptcy. Subsequently, Aldo Vastapane will be more discreet in the business world. In 2006, he was knighted by King Albert II of Belgium.
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