Verena Bahlsen “came into something because of unfortunate circumstances”
– –
As of: 7:52 p.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes
video-element " data-qa="VideoElement">
Bahlsen heiress apologizes
– –
Verena Bahlsen apologized in May 2019 for her controversial comments on forced labor during the Nazi era. Previously, she had said in the “Bild” newspaper: “We paid the forced laborers just like the Germans and treated them well.”
– –
–
Bahlsen needs a new leadership. A family member should not take over the biscuit manufacturer’s business – not even heiress Verena Bahlsen. Her father commented on a derailment of his daughter that was remembered.
– – –
BAt the Bahlsen biscuit dynasty, the family finally says goodbye to day-to-day business. Patriarch Werner M. Bahlsen (70), who retired from the executive post in 2018, and his wife Susanne have external candidates for the top management position. Daughter Verena is said to have previously expressed interest. But she will not take on the top job.
“No family member of the next generation will join the operational management of the company,” said Werner Bahlsen in the “Handelsblatt”. The pastry manufacturer from Hanover has not had a chief executive officer for a long time. Meanwhile, manager Daniela Mündler plans to leave Bahlsen in the spring due to differences regarding the future strategy. In addition to her, the company currently employs Scott Brankin and Jörg Hönemann as senior managers.
The head of the family, Werner Bahlsen, did not want to confirm that co-heiress Verena – she has three siblings – stood before a possible appointment: “Not everything that is written is correct.” In the interview, his wife spoke of “rumors”.
Verena Bahlsen had recently drawn massive criticism towards herself and the company. Last spring she told the “Bild” newspaper about the company’s role in the Nazi era: “We paid the forced laborers the same way as the Germans and treated them well.” Historian Michael Wolffsohn then said that such statements were true “Unworthy of a German company”. The German-Jewish scientist Guy Stern, who lives in the USA, told the German press agency that the heiress uttered a “psychological degradation” of those affected.
also read
– – – – –
Werner Bahlsen showed understanding for the criticism – but also took his daughter under protection: “Because of unfortunate circumstances, she spun into something.” Until now, people had known too little about family history; steps like joining a compensation fund were not enough. “We should have continued drilling even then.” Susanne Bahlsen said: “We should all have dealt with the subject earlier.” However, the fact that her daughter was treated so sharply after the statement had “hit her very hard” as a mother.
In 2018, Bahlsen lost millions
The Lower Saxony biscuit empire had made headlines several times with sometimes bizarre episodes. The origins of the company founded by Hermann Bahlsen go back to the 1880s. In 1999 there was a break when Werner Bahlsen continued to run the “sweet” biscuit division and his brother Lorenz the “salty” snack division. Internal power struggles are said to have preceded this.
Later, there were arguments about the strategy and the right range. In recent times, strong competition and the company’s global trade policy have been aggravated. There are “some construction sites” and “big homework”, Werner Bahlsen now conceded. The year 2018 ended with a loss of 3.3 million euros, but for 2019 there should be a “decent profit”. The ex-boss and today’s chairman of the board of directors did not provide any evidence of this: “Basically we don’t say anything about figures.” Only: “This company makes money.”
There are hardly any niches on the fully occupied German pastry market, and reports say that the important business with own supermarket brands is expected to weaken. And abroad, the Brexit and US punitive tariffs on certain foods hit the group with its 2730 employees hard: The additional taxes are a big burden for the export business.
also read
– – – – –
Even the “cookie monster” had visited the biscuit manufacturer before. At the beginning of 2013 the company emblem – a golden biscuit – had disappeared from the facade of the Bahlsen headquarters. This was followed by a ransom note in which a self-proclaimed “Sesame Street” resident requested the care of a children’s hospital and donations to an animal shelter. Later, the giant biscuit suddenly reappeared in front of the University of Hanover, with some arguments for a student prank.
Many family businesses are difficult to manage. However, Werner Bahlsen emphasizes that there is a strength in making joint decisions – “although of course it rumbles from time to time, tears sometimes flow and emotional outbursts threaten”. The children should be allowed to determine their own future, says his wife Susanne. Of course, they would have a say in the “generational transition” and the selection of the new tour: “Our goal is to finally bring peace again this year.”
– – – – –
