Prof Götz W Werner, the founder of German retailer dm-drogerie markt, passed away on 8 February at the age of 78.
Christoph Werner, his son and chairman of the management board of dm, said in a statement that his father passed away peacefully. Over the past months, Werner had to limit his activities due to deteriorating health.
About Götz W Werner
Götz W Werner, born in Heidelberg in 1944, was the son of a druggist.
He joined his father's Drogerie Werner business for a brief period after completing his training, before moving to Karlsruhe to join the company, Drogerie Roth.
He launched dm-drogerie markt in 1973.
Werner's maxim of 'permanent, constructive dissatisfaction with existing conditions' and a willingness to implement change repeatedly contributed to dm's success, the company said in a statement.
Currently, dm-drogerie markt operates in 14 European countries and generated a turnover of €12.3 billion in its most recent financial year.
Unconditional Basic Income
Since the early 1990s and after his departure from the operational responsibility of dm-drogerie markt in 2008, Werner focused on the idea of an unconditional basic income.
According to him, it was important to give people freedom and enable them to participate in the life of a free civil society.
Although he was aware that he would not live to see the completion of this idea, he worked for it with great energy, the company said,
Werner was awarded the title of professor by the University of Karlsruhe, and, in May 2005, he was appointed as head of the Interfaculty Institute for Entrepreneurship. [Image Courtesy: Alex Stiebritz/dm]
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