As a founder, vending machine magnate, corporate leader, philanthropist, and family man, Paul Gauselmann has lived a life without unfulfilled ambitions. Even age seems to have little impact on him.
On August 26, this steadfast post-war entrepreneur will celebrate his 90th birthday. His personal image and excellent management team continue to lead the destiny of the Merkur Group. For health reasons, he has reduced his working hours to four days a week over the past year. Nevertheless, his focus remains on the future of the company and the welfare of its 15,000 employees: "For 67 years, I have been hopeful and concerned about the success of our group."
Merkur Group founder Paul Gauselmann reflected on his journey from starting a business without capital in 1957 to leading an internationally successful company with a turnover of about 4 billion euros. Despite many achievements, he admits that his success is due to hard work, perfectionism, and entrepreneurial spirit, not luck. His wife Karin has been his most important support during their 58 years of marriage together.
Lifetime love: Paul and Karin Gauselmann have been married for nearly 57 years.
Paul has been contributing to the family income since childhood and learned the value of hard work. The war years made him realize the importance of play, which later inspired his passion for gaming. His entrepreneurial spirit thrived in post-war Germany under favorable economic conditions.
After finishing his apprenticeship as a telecommunications inspector at the top of his class, seven years later, he began working part-time as a jukebox operator—this year was 1957, marking the establishment of the Merkur Group. Then, in October 1964, Paul Gauselmann began to fully seek his own career. It was the years spent as an employee that shaped this entrepreneur's life.
Paul Gauselmann has never forgotten the importance of employers showing appreciation to employees. Therefore, even at the age of 90, he still makes time to interact with employees. A word here, a compliment there—Paul Gauselmann always interacts with employees on an equal footing, never forgetting how he started.
67 years ago, Paul Gauselmann started his business alone, successfully building a large corporate group with nearly 15,000 employees, while always adhering to the principle of "entrepreneurship with heart." Therefore, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic—in some cases, game halls, casinos, and sports betting shops were forced to close for up to seven months—kept him awake many nights. But despite the heavy loss of income, this boss took care of "his" employees, with not a single one being laid off due to the pandemic.
Family circle: In 1937, three-year-old Paul Gauselmann (left) with his brothers Willi, Eugen, Josef, and Heinz, and their father Heinrich Gauselmann.
Paul Gauselmann, adhering to a traditionally frugal style, focuses on value rather than material benefits, making him a generous donor in his community. Throughout his life, he earned more money than his family could spend, but he chose to give back to society. He established the Paul and Karin Gauselmann Foundation, which has donated nearly 5 million euros to about 2,500 beneficiaries over 25 years. His contributions include funding the modernization of the Laden Hospital, the expansion of the Minden Clinic, a building for medical training, and providing a surgical robot worth 1.4 million euros to the Lübeck Hospital.
In addition, Gauselmann has invested millions of dollars in restoring the 500-year-old Schloss Benkhausen estate in Espelkamp, which now serves as a training center, conference hotel, and cultural venue, featuring an English garden with a leisure area, circular trail, and dock for public enjoyment.
Although his dedication earned him the honorary citizenship of Espelkamp and Lübeck years ago, this father of four sons and great-grandfather of five great-grandchildren continues to be committed to social causes. He not only funded about 6 million euros for the construction of two daycare centers in Espelkamp; but also stepped up again when the town recently faced unexpected financial difficulties, donating 8.7 million euros.
To ensure that the neighboring town of Lübeck, where the Merkur Group's production plant is located, is not overlooked, he donated another 5 million euros. In just a few months, Paul Gauselmann donated about 20 million euros to charitable causes. Additionally, he announced that he would allocate most of his private assets to his foundation. "This will enable him to support many charitable causes in the coming years," Paul Gauselmann contentedly reviewed his life's work, he assured.
