The company was founded in 1972 by Dirk Rossmann. He was 14 years old when he started to learn to be a pharmacist. He did not go to college because, he wanted to take over the family business. Here is Dirk Rossman's success story:
Who is the owner of Rossmann?
The company was founded in 1972 by Dirk Rossmann with its headquarters in Burgwedel near Hanover in Germany. Dirk Rossmann was born 1946. When Dirk Rossmann opened his first shop in 1972 in Hanover, Rossmann is the first German brand to introduce discount health and beauty retail concept to the nation.
He was 14 years old when he started to learn to be a pharmacist. He did not go to college because, e wanted to take over the family business. In one of his speeches, he explained why he did not go to school: - I didn't understand what the teachers wanted from me, I didn't like getting up early.
He grew up in a housing estate of 50 single-family houses on the outskirts of the city. His paternal grandparents had a pharmacy. He was just 12 when he made his first money. As he later recalled in "Der Tagesspiegel": "My parents had a pharmacy, but prices were regulated by law. I was 12 years old and I managed to beg my mother to sell products 10 percent cheaper than others. I cleaned my home pantry to have a place for storing goods. Every Friday I got on my bike with a basket and toured our neighbours along the street. Sometimes I just gave them a discount coupon. I quickly achieved the level of over a thousand marks of monthly sales. Today I know that it was actually off the books."
He was 18 when he bought his first apartment.
He founded Rossmann, at the age of 25. In 1972, he opened Germany's first self-service drugstore in Hannover just as price deregulation of pharmacy products was beginning. Within a decade, Rossmann had progressed rapidly and became the market leader in northern Germany with 100 stores.
So what is the secret of success?
He still likes to refer to Schopenhauer in his interviews. He said that: "Schopenhauer once said that people are not successful because they give up too soon. For me, it's also important not to give up too early."
What means Rossmann?
From German ros ‘horse’ + man ‘man’, applied as an occupational name for a horse breeder, handler or dealer. That's why company’s logo is also in the form of a stylized a centaur. A centaur is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse.
Was Rossmann always successful?
No! In the 1990s, his constant speculation of the exchange market put his company in jeopardy of bankruptcy.
In the early 90's Dirk Rossmann confessed: "I speculated on the stock exchange, sometimes I won, sometimes I lost, and my enterprise suffered as a result."
What is Rossmann's annual turnover?
Rossmann's now Germany's second-largest drugstore chain, with annual revenues of around $12.5 billion. (2022) Number of Rossmann stores outside of Germany from 2008 to 2021, by country. Refer to: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1009654/number-of-rossmann-stores-by-country/
In which countries does the Rossmann brand currently operate?
In 2019 Rossmann had more than €10 billion turnover in Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Albania, Kosovo and Spain.
What is Rossmanns shareholding structure?
The Rossmann family owns 60%, and the Hong Kong-based A.S. Watson Group 40% of the company. The product range includes up to 21,700 items and can vary depending on the size of the shop and the location. In addition to drugstore goods with a focus on skin, hair, body, baby and health, Rossmann also offers promotional items ("World of Ideas"), pet food, a photo service and a wide range of natural foods and wines. There is also a perfume range with around 200 commercial brands. Rossmann has 29 private brands with 4600 products (as of 2019).
Is it true that Dirk Rossmann published a children's book?
True! Dirk Rossmann is a businessman as well as a writer. He has also written thriller novels. He published his first children's book in May 2022. According to his adult novels, climate change is a major theme. “I admired the octopuses, absolutely fascinating, extremely sensitive creatures,” the 75-year-old Dirk Rossmann said in the statement. He wants to bring children closer to climate change through play. Dirk Rossmann left last fall as CEO of Rossmann Pharmacies to devote more time to writing.