John Van Lieshout

John Van Lieshout
Born	1946 Netherlands
Occupation	Businessman
Years active	–present
Known for	Founder of Amart Furniture (Super A-Mart)

John Van Lieshout (born 1946) is an Australian billionaire known for founding and previously owning the Amart Furniture retail chain.

Early life

Van Lieshout was born in the Netherlands in 1946 as one of thirteen siblings to Karel Van Lieshout, a plasterer, and his wife Anna. The family relocated to Australia in 1960, initially staying at the Wacol Migrant Camp near Brisbane. He completed his education up to high school level.

Career

Van Lieshout established the Super A-Mart furniture chain and later divested from it in 2006 for $500 million. Following this sale, he concentrated on property development. Through his company Unison Projects Group, he has purchased approximately 600 residential lots and 200 townhouses in the Brisbane area.

The Van Lieshout family holds a prominent position within Australia’s furniture industry, often referred to as the "kings and queens of furniture." They have launched several retail chains including Empire Office Furniture, Super A-Mart, BW Coles, Chevron, and Woolstore.

Personal life

Residing in Brisbane, Queensland, Van Lieshout is married and has three children.

Net worth

In 2014, Queensland's Sunday Mail identified Van Lieshout as the wealthiest individual in Queensland based on net worth. As of May 2025, the Financial Review Rich List estimated his fortune at AUD 3.02 billion. Clive Palmer remains Queensland’s wealthiest with AUD 20.12 billion.

Year	Financial Review Rich List		Forbes Australia's 50 Richest
Rank	Net worth (A$)	Rank	Net worth (US$)
2016			28 Template:Loss	$970 million Template:Loss
2017		$1.72 billion
2018	33 Increase	$1.92 billion Increase
2019	29 Increase	$2.51 billion Increase	31 Template:Loss	$1.40 billion Increase
2020	45 Template:Loss	$2.03 billion Template:Loss
2021	43 Increase	$2.49 billion Increase
2022	41 Increase	$2.70 billion Increase
2023	41 Steady	$2.72 billion Increase
2024	44 Template:Loss	$2.92 billion Increase
2025	51 Template:Loss	$3.02 billion Increase

Legend
Icon	Description
Steady	No change compared to prior year
Increase	Increase compared to prior year
Template:Loss	Decrease compared to prior year