About three months ago, Germany was shocked by the news: in his own home in the Bavarian city of Rottach-Egern, he committed suicide Otto Beisheim. He was among the founders of one of the world's most profitable Metro Groups. A few months before this sad event, the multibillionaire became aware of the diagnosis, and his health, despite intensive treatment, began to rapidly deteriorate. I made a decision and voluntarily put an end to my truly amazing fate.
A brief history of the formation of Otto Beisheim
He was a very difficult and very private person who for decades deliberately avoided publicity; meticulous journalists even called him a man without a face. Perhaps this is why many details of his life remained unknown; he never gave a single interview, preferred to travel on someone else’s passport, and avoided recognition even in the companies he led.
Otto Beisheim was born in the Ruhr (County of Essen) on January 3, 1924. The family was quite poor, which was not uncommon in Germany at that time, so the future multi-billionaire did not even have enough money to send him to school. At first he studied leatherwork, then went into trade. The young man was very fascinated by the prevailing ideas of Nazism at that time, he was even honored to serve in one of the elite SS units “Adolf Hitler”, in which the oath was taken personally to the Fuhrer.
Although Otto Beisheim had a small role in the war and did not play a special role in the war, before his capture by the Americans he managed to earn the Iron Cross - one of the most popular awards for bravery in the Wehrmacht. It is possible that it was participation in the war on the side of the Nazis that later became one of the reasons for the businessman’s secrecy.
The lack of secondary education affected Otto Beisheim's future career. He really managed to master only two things: trade and war. He decided to engage in trade, which was difficult to do practically from scratch in a devastated country. Having traveled to, the young merchant became acquainted with the principle of small-scale wholesale trade. In 1964, together with several German families, he registered the Metro company and opened the first store in Mülheim.
A real breakthrough in German trade
Legally, Otto Beisheim was not a co-owner of Metro. He was "just" the general manager of one of the company's stores. But the concept that Beisheim developed and implemented based on his American experience brought such powerful results that after a couple of years he became a co-owner of the company.
The new trading format practically exploded; Metro stores were liked by hotel and restaurant owners. Small-scale purchases allowed us to save significantly on delivery and avoid overpaying for large quantities of goods. Very soon the network became so popular in Germany that the owners risked entering the foreign market.
Today, the brainchild of Otto Beisheim - the Metro Group of companies - consists of Cash&Carry wholesale hypermarkets, electronics and household appliance stores, Galeria Kaufhof department stores, and hypermarkets. There are more than 2,200 retail outlets in 32 countries around the world, generating a turnover approaching 70 billion euros annually. Metro's capitalization has reached almost 8 billion euros, and every German believes that any self-respecting city simply must have its own Metro store.
The last years of Otto Beisheim's life
In the early nineties, the businessman gradually moved away from managing the company and participating in the business, leaving the board of directors. A few years ago, he even reduced his personal stake in Metro to 10%. Having received Swiss citizenship in 1988, he led a quiet and inconspicuous life, which he spent in the winter in Miami, returning in the summer to the Swiss Bar.
Otto Beisheim liked to work, and he did it as secretly as possible; even those close to him did not know about most of the projects. So, in the early 90s, the billionaire saved Kirch from Leo, buying the rights to two and a half thousand films from him. In the 90s, the university in Vallendar received fifty million marks from Beichsheim and began to be named after him. In 2004, Potsdamer Platz in the German capital was decorated with the center of Beichsheim, in which he invested 463 million, but even, as usual, did not come to the opening.
By the way, the center was erected in memory of the multi-billionaire’s wife Inge, who was with him for half a century and died in 1999. Almost 10 years later, Otto Beisheim married again, but by the time of his death he did not have any children. Therefore, the multi-billionaire's fortune, which last spring Forbes estimated at 3.3 billion euros, will, according to his orders, be divided between the funds he founded, located in Bar and Munich.
This person of the week, according to Euromag, is one of the most mysterious German multi-billionaires, who decided to die due to an incurable disease. However, of course, this courageous decision is just an episode in the amazing life story of one of the founders of the Metro Group network, Otto Beisheim, who revolutionized the retail market 50 years ago.
On February 18, one of the richest people in Europe, one of the founders of the Metro Group network, Otto Beisheim, voluntarily passed away in Rottach-Egern, Bavaria. News of the businessman's death was published by the Bild newspaper, which reported that on Monday Beisheim's housekeeper heard the sound of a gunshot, and some time later the businessman's body was found in the bathroom.
The fact is that some time ago, multi-billionaire Otto Beisheim was given a disappointing diagnosis. He began a course of treatment, but his health was getting worse every day. As a result, as the Beisheim Group, which he founded, later stated, the businessman decided to “leave his life due to a hopeless health situation.”
However, it is worth noting that this decision of Otto Beisheim, because of which EUROMAG magazine recognized him as “man of the week”, is only the final chord in the amazing life story of this man, who 50 years ago turned the idea of Germans and many Europeans about retail trade by introducing their compatriots with the format of small wholesale trade.
Otto Beisheim was born on January 3, 1924 in the Ruhr region of Essen, which was a large industrial region in Germany. The Beisheim family was not rich, and the parents did not have the opportunity to send their son to school. Otto began studying leatherwork, but later took up trade.
Otto Beisheim is one of the most mysterious figures in big German business. This multi-billionaire has never given a single interview in his entire life. Many believe that the answer to this phenomenon is hidden in his youth.
There is one extremely ambiguous detail in Otto’s biography - he served in one of the most elite units of the Waffen SS - the Adolf Hitler Life Standard, which enjoyed the personal patronage and special favor of the Fuhrer. At the dawn of the Reich, in the thirties, members of this organization took a personal oath to Hitler and played the role of personal security for the Nazi elite.
However, as historians note, his role in World War II was minor, since he was one of the lower ranks and was also quickly captured by the British. No matter how small his role was, Otto Beisheim was awarded the Iron Cross, second degree.
After the war, he, like most Germans, was forced to rebuild his country. Since 1948, economic reforms began in Germany, developed by the first Minister of Economy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Ludwig Erhard. Later, the result of his reforms would be called the “German economic miracle.”
A young man who did not even finish school found himself in a difficult position after the war - he only knew how to fight and trade. It was the latter that he decided to do. The 1940s-1960s were the era of the formation of modern global giants in the trading industry. In those years, brands such as the Swedish IKEA and the American Walmart appeared.
After spending several years trying to create something worthwhile in Germany, Otto saved up money to travel to the United States, where he became acquainted with the concept of small-scale wholesale trading. As noted by German media, upon returning to Germany, Beisheim, together with the Schmidt-Ruthenbeck family and the family holding company Franz Haniel & Cie, founded the Metro trading company in 1964 and opened the first small wholesale store in Mülheim.
In fact, if you look at it legally, Beisheim was not the founder of the company - he joined the Metro concern when the store opened in Mülheim in 1964, becoming its general director. However, this was already the company's second store. However, the concept that Beisheim brought to the company allowed him to become an owner after 2 years.
For the Germans this was a new format of trade. Metro Cash & Carry stores quickly gained popularity among restaurant and hotel owners who were unaccustomed to this format. Small wholesale purchases allowed companies to save money on delivery and not overpay for large quantities of certain goods.
Soon the new company was known throughout Germany, which the owners took advantage of and began to actively develop the chain of stores, bringing it to foreign markets.
Now the group includes wholesale hypermarkets Metro Cash & Carry, chains of stores selling electronics and household appliances Media Markt and Saturn, Galeria Kaufhof department stores, as well as Real hypermarkets (Metro recently sold some of them to the French Auchan).
The total number of Metro Group outlets in 32 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa reaches 2,200, the group's total sales exceed 66 billion euros per year, and the market capitalization is 7.9 billion euros. It is almost impossible to imagine a German who has never entered at least one of the mentioned stores.
Since the 1990s, Beisheim has stepped away from Metro management and active involvement in business. He resigned from Metro's board of directors in 1994 and reduced his stake in the group to around 10% in 2009-2010.
Very little is known about his biography beyond the official protocols. It is reliably known that he received Swiss citizenship in 1988. It is reported that in recent decades he has lived "in several countries" - in the summer in the Swiss Bar, and in the winter in Miami. In addition, he also had houses in Paris, Lugano (Switzerland) and Rottach-Egern.
It is also known that he was actively involved in charity work, although even people close to him are sure that they did not know about all of the billionaire’s projects. For example, in 1990 he bought the rights to 2,500 films from Leo Kirch and thus saved him from bankruptcy. In addition, he was a co-owner of the Kabelkanal television channel until 1995.
On January 10, 2004, the Beisheim center opened on Berlin's Potsdamer Platz for 463 million euros, under the roof of which are, among other things, five-star hotels of the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott chains. Otto built this building in honor of his late wife Inge, with whom he lived for 50 years. She died in 1999. In 2008 he married again. Beisheim had no children.
Beisheim sponsored children's sports teams, schools and higher education institutions, and provided funds for the construction of playgrounds and sports facilities. In 1993, he donated DM 50 million to the University of Management in Vallendar. Since then, the educational institution bears his name.
Beisheim's fortune in March 2012 was estimated by Forbes magazine at 3.3 billion euros. The capital will be divided between two charitable foundations founded by Beisheim - in Munich and Bar.
According to Bild, the Metro co-founder was often called “a man without a face” in the press: he avoided media attention and never gave interviews; At Metro staff meetings, he was rarely recognized by other employees. Beisheim also feared kidnapping and traveled under false names, such as Luigi Fontana and Bernard Duthoit.
Otto born 01/03/24 in Essen. Net worth - 5 billion (as of 03/05/08). I have never given a single interview in my entire life! There is one detail in Otto’s biography: he made a career in the Nazi party very early, serving in one of the most elite units of the Waffen SS - the Leibstandarte “Adolf Hitler”, which enjoyed the personal patronage and special favor of Hitler.
Members of the Leibstandarte took a personal oath to Hitler and acted as personal guards for the Nazi elite.
The most devoted to fascist ideas, the young and healthy “sons of the superior race,” were accepted into Hitler’s guard.
Perhaps this circumstance explains his dizzying career and almost pathological secrecy.
At the Nuremberg Trials, the entire Waffen SS organization, including the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, was declared criminal. But most of the SS men were accepted into service in US government agencies. The most public former SS man was Wernher Von Braun. *
SS veteran Franz Schönhuber founded and led the right-wing Republican Party in 1985. Member of the Bundestag (from the CSU) Karl-Heinz Spielker also went into politics. One of the most active ideologists of National Socialism is the Untersturmführer of the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" Herbert Schweiger. “We, the soldiers of the German Wehrmacht, have nothing to be ashamed of!”, he says, believing that the third world war will be a logical continuation of today’s world processes
Metro retail chain Otto began creating in the 60s. It has now become the fifth largest trading house in the world. Beisheim lives mainly in Switzerland and the USA, and almost never appears in public. In the very center of Berlin, on Potsdamer Platz, next to modern complexes built by Sony and DaimlerChrysler, the Beisheim-Center was inaugurated - a residential and office building, which, in particular, houses the luxurious Ritz Carlton hotel. Otto invested 450 million euros in the construction of this architectural monument to his wife, who died four years ago, but refused to come to the opening of the center. Otto was noted as the creator of the German MBA school and practically headed the European MBA direction.
We must pay tribute to modern ordinary Germans, far from the ruling elite, they have a very “ambiguous” attitude towards Otto’s activities. Almost everything is criticized: from his methods of “inhumane” management, to his slogans like “Greed is cool!” It is also noted that it is no coincidence that Otto named his company’s website www. Metro-CC.com.
In 2004, the Metro trading concern turned 40, and in the same year its founder celebrated his eightieth birthday. He is in excellent shape, maintains close ties with other SS veterans and is still actively influencing the political elite in Germany and the United States.
http://www.peoples.ru/undertake/founder/otto_beisheim/
*Wernher von Braun distinguished himself by personally taking part in the execution of “slaves” from Russia at his factories for the production of V-missiles. Brown, with the entire staff of rocket developers, went to serve in the United States, where he lost the space race to Korolev and, according to the US State Department, created the rocket that delivered the Americans to the moon. Which is very doubtful, because... The Americans have not yet created an engine that develops a thrust of 600 tons, and are forced to regularly purchase powerful RD-170 rocket engines with a thrust of 800 tons from Russia.
http://www.guinessrecords.ru/info/sputniki_i_rakety/samyi_moshnyi_raketnyi_dvigatel.htm
In Germany, at the age of 89, one of the founders of the Metro Group, Otto Beisheim, died, who in the early 1960s revolutionized the country's retail market by first introducing Germans to the format of small wholesale trade. One of the most secretive German billionaires, who even traveled under false names, most likely committed suicide due to an incurable illness. His inheritance will be divided between two foundations: Beisheim left no descendants.
Post-war business
Otto Beisheim was born on January 3, 1924 in the Essen region of the Ruhr, a large industrial region of Germany. The Beisheim family was not rich, and the parents did not have the opportunity to send their son to school. Otto began studying leatherwork, but later took up trade.
During World War II, Beisheim served in the Waffen-SS, and reminders of this haunted him throughout his life. As Bloomberg points out, he was part of the first SS division Leibstandarte (performed, in particular, the functions of Hitler’s personal guard). However, according to The Financial Times, Beisheim was only a radio operator and dispatcher during his service; when the war ended he was 21 years old.
After the war, Germany's main task was to rebuild the economy. Since 1948, the country began economic reforms developed by the first Minister of Economy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Ludwig Erhard. The subsequent takeoff of the economy was later called the “German economic miracle,” and trade, naturally, became one of its main components.
One should also take into account the global economic recovery in the post-war period, which also gave impetus to the development of trade. It was in the 1940-1960s that the foundations were laid for the development of future global retail giants, including the Swedish IKEA and the American Walmart. IKEA was founded in 1943, the first furniture store opened in 1958, and the first retail outlets abroad were in Norway in 1963 and Denmark in 1969. Wal-Mart Stores dates back to 1945, and the first store under the Walmart brand was opened in 1962.
Around this time, in the early 1960s, Beisheim made a business trip to the United States. There he became acquainted with the concept of small wholesale trade (with a stretch, Walmart discounters could also be included in this category). Just two years later, Beisheim, together with the Schmidt-Ruthenbeck family and the family holding company Franz Haniel & Cie, founded the trading company Metro and opened the first small wholesale store in Mülheim (Ruhr).
Metro Cash & Carry stores quickly gained popularity among restaurant and hotel owners who were unaccustomed to this format. Small wholesale purchases allowed companies to save money on delivery and not overpay for large quantities of certain goods.
In turn, the founders of Metro developed a chain of stores, bringing it to foreign markets. Now the group includes wholesale hypermarkets Metro Cash & Carry, chains of stores selling electronics and household appliances Media Markt and Saturn, Galeria Kaufhof department stores, as well as Real hypermarkets (some of them Metro, recently from the French Auchan). The total number of Metro Group outlets in 32 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa reaches 2.2 thousand, the group's total sales exceed 66 billion euros per year, and the market capitalization is 7.9 billion euros. It is almost impossible to imagine a German who has never entered at least one of the mentioned stores.
Deadly diagnosis
On Monday, February 18, Beisheim's body was discovered at his home in Rottach-Egern, Bavaria. The Bild newspaper was the first to report the businessman's death, indicating that Beisheim apparently committed suicide. According to media reports, he suffered from depression for a long time and was undergoing treatment. On Monday, Beisheim's housekeeper heard the sound of a gunshot, and some time later the businessman's body was found in the bathroom.
The Beisheim Group, founded by Beisheim, later said that he “suffered from an incurable disease and passed away due to a hopeless health situation.”
Since the 1990s, Beisheim has stepped away from Metro management and active involvement in business. In 1994, he resigned from Metro's board of directors, and in 2009-2010 he reduced his stake in the group's capital to about ten percent. However, his company, the Beisheim Group, remained Metro's third-largest shareholder after the Schmidt-Ruthenbeck and Haniel families, which together owned half of Metro's securities. The Beisheim Group has already stated that it does not plan to sell Beisheim's stake in Metro.
In 1988, Beisheim received Swiss citizenship. In the summer he lived there (in Bar), and in the winter in Miami. He also had houses in Paris, Lugano (Switzerland) and Rottach-Egern.
According to Bild, the Metro co-founder was often called “a man without a face” in the press: he avoided media attention and never gave interviews; At Metro staff meetings, he was rarely recognized by other employees. Beisheim also feared kidnapping and traveled under false names, such as Luigi Fontana and Bernard Dutoit.
Beisheim was actively involved in charity work, sponsored children's sports teams, schools and higher education institutions, and provided funds for the construction of children's playgrounds and sports facilities. In 1993, he donated DM 50 million to the Scientific School of Corporate Management in Vallendar (Germany). Since then, the educational institution bears his name.
In 2004, the Beisheim Center was opened on Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, built with Beisheim's funds in honor of his late wife Inge. The construction cost is estimated at 463 million euros. The project includes two hotels - the Ritz-Carlton and the Marriott.
With its small-batch stores, Beisheim “revolutionized” retail in the mid-1960s, said Metro CEO Olaf Koch. He added that everyone in the group was mourning the death of one of Metro's founders.
Beisheim had no children. In 1999, his wife Inge, to whom he had been married for 50 years, died. Beisheim's fortune in March 2012 was estimated by Forbes magazine at 3.3 billion euros (he was ranked 22nd in the ranking of the richest businessmen in Germany). The capital will be divided between two charitable foundations founded by Beisheim - in Munich and Bar.
A German professor, a revolutionary in the retail market of his country, who was the first to introduce the Germans to the format of small wholesale trading. He founded Metro Cash & Carry in 1964. The concept of small wholesale trade gave impetus to the development of trade outside Germany.
In 1967, a partnership was founded, which included Otto Beisheim, the Schmidt-Ruthenbeck family and the company Franz Haniel & Cie with equal shares. Since 1968, Metro hypermarkets began to open in major cities, and then throughout the world. Beisheim was the company's managing director when it was still a private enterprise. In 1996, the company was founded as a result of the merger of Metro Cash&Carry, Kaufhof Holding AG and Asko Deutsche Kaufhaus AG, and became known as Metro AG. This company manages a retail chain that is the third largest in Germany and the fifth largest in the world. In the Metro Group, Professor Otto Beisheim has a 13.21% stake.
Biography of Otto Beisheim. Start of work
The founder of a large retail chain was born in 1924. Place of birth: Essen, Ruhr, . Died in February 2013. It is believed that the 89-year-old billionaire committed suicide due to a long illness, which he was tired of fighting. His body was found in a house in Bavaria, in Rottach-Egern. Beisheim did not leave him as an heir. His fortune will most likely be divided between two funds. His fortune is estimated at more than five billion dollars.
Otto was born into a family with little income. The parents did not have the means to send their son to school. According to some sources, Otto Beisheim never graduated from high school. He began to study leatherwork. Later he decided to go into trading. His working career began behind the counter of a leather goods store.
This is the most mysterious figure among German businessmen. In his entire life, this man has never given a single interview or held a single meeting with journalists. He usually traveled under false names.
As a young man during World War II, Otto served in the Elite Waffen SS unit. This is the Life Standard "Adolf Hitler". This unit was in the special regard of Hitler himself. In the 30s of the last century, members of the Life Standard took the oath personally to the Fuhrer, they served as his personal guard. Many believe that this circumstance is the reason for such pathological secrecy of Otto Beisheim. However, official sources do not confirm this information.
In the early 60s of the last century, Beisheim visited on a business trip, where he became interested in small wholesale trade. He was able to open his first store within two years.
Owners of hotels, restaurants and cafes became interested in an unusual way of trading. Purchasing in small wholesale quantities made it possible to save money on delivery, and also allowed us not to overpay when buying large quantities of different goods.
The founders developed their brainchild and brought it to the international level.
Mortal Otto Beisheim
Almost all the time, Otto Beisheim lived in and led a reclusive life. In 1995, when his company went public and Metro shares began to be traded on the Frankfurt stock exchange, he also did not appear in public. He refused to attend the opening ceremony of the Beisheim-Center residential and office building in Berlin, in the construction of which he invested 450 million and considered it an architectural monument to his deceased wife. His Inge, died in 1999. They were together for 50 years.
According to some media reports, Beisheim suffered from depression for a long time and underwent treatment. , his housekeeper heard a shot, and then Beisheim's body was found.
Beisheim retired from active involvement in the business back in the 90s. In 1994, he resigned from the board of directors of Metro. In 2010, he reduced his share in the total capital of the company (to approximately 10%).
In the press he was called “the man without a face” because he avoided communication. At general meetings of Metro employees, he was rarely recognized. Fearing kidnapping, he traveled under false names.
He gave most of his time and money to charity. He helped children's institutions: schools and higher educational institutions, sponsored children's sports teams. Sponsored the construction of sports facilities and playgrounds for children. The University of Management in Vallendar received DM 50 million from him in 1993. Since that time, this educational institution has been named after Otto Beisheim.
Otto Beisheim Metro retail chains and their activities
The corporation includes small wholesale trade (Cash&Carry), hypermarkets (Real), electronics and equipment (Media, Markt, Saturn), as well as department stores (Kaufhoh gallery, etc.)
Metro is 623 shopping centers with small wholesale trade in thirty countries. The retail network includes 556 hypermarkets. The main part works in Germany and Russia. The annual sales volume of the retail chain amounted to 14.4 billion euros, according to data for 2011.
The company unites 103 thousand people. Sales volume and revenue are growing all the time. Total income for 2007 amounted to 31.7 billion euros, in 2010 - 67.26 billion euros.
Metro in Russia
The Metro project received official development in Russia in 2000. Each store has 400 employees. The central office employs about two thousand workers who communicate with 7,500 suppliers and manufacturers who participate in the formation of the assortment of the retail network. The assortment includes 20 thousand items: food and non-food group of goods. The store's retail space can reach 10 thousand square meters. In 2012, it was planned to open retail outlets in the following cities: Krasnoyarsk, Perm, Samara, Ufa, Krasnodar, Sochi, Novorossiysk, Volzhsky.
Data for 2012 indicate that there are more than 65 Metro Cash&Carry shopping centers operating in Russia. In cities with a population of less than half a million inhabitants, it is planned to open retail outlets of the new Metro Point format. They will be distinguished by a smaller retail space and a truncated assortment. The first store of this kind was opened in 2012 in Vologda.
Metro on
The corporation entered the Ukrainian market in 2003. According to the latest data, at the beginning of 2013, there were 29 shopping centers and 4 Metro bases operating in the territory.
Metro in
The first small wholesale retail outlet opened in 2009. There are 13 thousand types of food sector products and 12 thousand types of industrial goods presented here. The shopping center covers an area of 6,880 square meters and employs approximately 250 employees.
In 2010, the first store was opened in Almaty. Another center will be opened by the end of the year. According to data at the beginning of 2012, there are 8 shopping centers in seven cities in Kazakhstan.
