Karl Wlaschek

Karl Wlaschek
Bust in the entrance of Palais Kinsky
Born(1917-08-04)4 August 1917
Vienna, Austria
Died31 May 2015(2015-05-31) (aged 97)
Graz, Austria
Occupation(s)Founder, Billa
Children2

Karl Wlaschek (4 August 1917 – 31 May 2015) was the founder of the Austrian supermarket chain Billa. According to the magazine Trend, Wlaschek was one of the five richest Austrians. In 1996 he sold Billa for Euro 1.1 billion.[1]

Early life

Wlaschek studied chemistry at TU Wien until he was he was conscripted in 1938, serving in France and the Soviet Union.[2] After World War II, he worked as a bar pianist and bandleader under the pseudonym "Charly Walker".[3] He wanted to open his own dance cafe, but at the time did not have the financial means to do so.[4]

Career

In 1953, Karl Wlaschek opened a perfumery in the Margareten district of Vienna and offered brand-name products at discount prices. Warenhandel Karl Wlaschek (WKW) grew steadily and by 1960 already comprised 45 branches in Austria. Wlaschek transferred the concept to the grocery business, introduced the self-service system and named his stores BILLA (for "Billiger Laden" – "Cheap Shop") in 1961.[1][4]

In the 1990s, the company expanded abroad as Eurobilla. In 1996, Wlaschek sold the group to the German REWE Group for EUR 1.1 billion.[4][5] The merger was notified to the European Commission in July 1996 and approved in August.[6]

After failing to get in on the privatization of Creditanstalt (then the second largest bank in Austria), Wlaschek began investing his wealth in real estate.[7] He owned eight palaces in the center of Vienna (including Kinsky, Ferstel, and Harrach), but also the Andromeda Tower and the Ares Tower (both part of Donau City), the former building of the Vienna Stock Exchange, and numerous other buildings in the city center.[4]

In 2015, Forbes estimated his fortune at USD 4.2 billion.[3]

Personal life

He lived in Vienna with his fifth wife, whom he had married in 2012.[8] He had two children.[3]

In November 2005, Adolf Haslinger, former rector of the University of Salzburg and a long-standing friend of Wlaschek, published an authorized biography.[9][10]

Awards and honors

Further reading

  • Adolf Haslinger: Karl Wlaschek. Eine Erfolgsgeschichte. Niederösterreichisches Pressehaus, November 2005, ISBN 978-3-85326-388-4
  • Georg Wailand: Die Reichen und die Superreichen in Österreich. Hoffmann und Campe, 1982, ISBN 3-455-08948-8

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Renate Graber und Claudia Ruff. "Unternehmer Karl Wlaschek ist tot". derStandard.at.
  2. ^ "Karl Wlaschek". munziger.de. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Karl Wlaschek". Forbes. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d Peter Sempelmann (6 July 2023). "Österreichs Reichste: Billa-Gründer Karl Wlaschek und seine Erben". trend.at. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  5. ^ "International Briefs; Rewe of Germany Buys Austrian Grocery Chain". nytimes.com. 18 July 1996. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Merger Decision IV/M.803" (PDF). ec.europa.eu. 27 August 1996. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Karl Wlaschek und sein Wirtschaftsimperium". standard.at. 4 August 2000. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  8. ^ Luisa Kroll (1 June 2015). "Austrian Billionaire, Former Jazz Pianist, Karl Wlaschek Dies At Age 97". forbes.com. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  9. ^ "Billa-Gründer Karl Wlaschek ist 90 Jahre". orf.at. 13 August 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Ein Buch statt vieler Interviews". derstandard.at. 11 November 2005. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  11. ^ "Goldenes Ehrenzeichen für Karl Wlaschek". parlament.gv.at. 1 September 1989. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Aufstellung aller durch den Bundespräsidenten verliehenen Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich ab 1952" (PDF). parlament.gv.at. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  13. ^ "Ehrenmedaille in Gold für Karl Wlaschek". wien.gv.at. Retrieved 2 January 2025.


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