$2.5 B
Guenther Lehmann owns 50% of German drugstore chain dm (drogeriemarkt), which got its start in 1973 when Goetz Werner opened his first shop in Karlsruhe, Germany. The following year, Lehmann, then running his family’s Pfannkuch a grocery chain, invested in dm. (In 1998, Lehmann sold Pfannkuch to the supermarket chain Spar.) Today, dm has 3,349 locations in 12 European countries and 56,500 employees, about 39,000 of them in Germany. Based on revenue — $10.9 billion for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2016 — it is Germany’s leading drugstore chain. Its private label brands include the highly successful alverde NATURKOSMETIK (Natural Cosmetics) line launched in 1989. The alverde products, which are mostly made in Germany, favor raw materials originating preferably from organic farming. The dm philosophy of business is quite famous in German-speaking countries, as Goetz Werner is said to have a lot of confidence in his employees, believing that ensuring their well-being will bring greater long-terms success for the company. In 2015, with dm introducing more organic products under its own brand “dm bio,” it started to unwind its commercial partnership with the organic food chain Alnatura. Dm and Alnatura, founded by Werner’s brother-in-law Goetz Rehn, have since been facing each other in court. Werner transferred his 50% of dm to a charitable foundation. Little is known about Lehmann, who is not operationally involved in dm.
Guenther Lehmann Net Worth: Guenther Lehmann is a German businessman who has a net worth of $1.9 billion. Guenther Lehmann earned his spot among world’s richest as an owner of the German drug store dm (Drogeriemarkt). It was back in 1973 that founder Götz Werner opened the first dm’s shop in Karlsruhe, Germany. At the time, Günther Lehmann headed the family business Pfannkuch and joined Götz Werner in his business one year later. Holding 50% of dm, Lehmann decided to sell Pfannkuch to the supermarket chain Spar in 1998. Nowadays, dm employs 50.000 people who work in 2900 shops spread in 12 European countries. Götz Werner is adored in German speaking countries for his pro-employees business philosophy. Most recently, he even transferred his 50 % of dm to a charitable foundation. As for Lehmann, who holds the other 50% of the company, he is not actively involved in dm’s operations.
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