Rudolph Karstadt facts for kids
Rudolph Karstadt (born February 16, 1856 – died December 15, 1944 in Schwerin) was a German businessman. He became famous for starting a large chain of department stores.
Rudolph Karstadt's Life Story
Rudolph Karstadt was born in Grevesmühlen, a town near Lübeck, on February 16, 1856. When he was young, he learned about business in Rostock. Later, he worked in his father's fabric shop in Schwerin.
In 1881, Rudolph decided to open his own store. With a loan of 1000 thaler (an old German coin) from his father and help from his two sisters, he opened his first shop. It was called "Tuch-, Manufaktur- und Konfektionsgeschäft" and sold fabrics, manufactured goods, and ready-made clothes. This first store was located at Krämerstraße 4 in Wismar.
Rudolph Karstadt's business grew quickly. By 1920, he owned more than 30 stores across Germany. His chain of stores became known as the Karstadt Warenhaus AG. In 1919, his company merged with another large company called Theodor Althoff KG.
Sadly, Rudolph Karstadt lost much of his personal money during a very difficult economic time called the Great Depression. Because of this, he left the main board of his company, Karstadt AG, in 1932. The company he founded, Karstadt Warenhaus AG, continued to operate and later became part of a larger company called Arcandor.
See Also
- Arcandor
- Karstadt (Bremen)
