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Rich neighbors: The Strauss brothers conquer the top 500 in Germany!
In the Main-Kinzig district, numerous entrepreneurial families such as the Strausses and Heraeus are represented among the richest Germans.
Rich neighbors: The Strauss brothers conquer the top 500 in Germany!
The super-rich are on the rise in Germany, and some entrepreneurial families can see themselves at the forefront, particularly in the Hesse area. As Manager Magazine reported, the brothers Steffen and Henning Strauss from Biebergemünd are now ranked 340th in the ranking of the 500 richest Germans. Her assets are estimated at an impressive 700 million euros - a huge increase of 200 million euros compared to the previous year and even 250 million euros more than in 2023. Her company, which specializes in work clothing, recently achieved sales of 1.4 billion euros. Henning Strauss has not only made the company a well-known brand for lifestyle products, but is also involved in social projects in Bad Orb, where he invests in the spa park and a luxury resort, among other things.
But it's not just the Strauss family that shines - the Heraeus family from Hanau is in 31st place on the list with assets of 7.1 billion euros. This family has been rooted in the industry for generations and employs over 15,000 people. Jürgen Heraeus, a descendant of the company's founder, managed the company from 1983 to 2000 and is now chairman of the supervisory board. The company operates internationally and has established itself as an important player. fr.de reports that the Heraeus family is not only active in mechanical engineering, but also in other areas.
The challenges of the gap between rich and poor
The Boston Consulting Group study highlights that these wealthy families operate in the context of a growing gap between rich and poor. In Germany there are now around 3,300 super-rich people, i.e. people with more than $100 million in financial assets, who together own 23 percent of all financial assets. This represents a notable increase of one percentage point compared to the previous year. zdfheute.de highlights that the proportion of super-rich people could rise to 26 percent in the next five years.
At the same time, around 66.5 million Germans live with less than $250,000 in financial assets, holding 42 percent of total assets. This gap continues to widen, while the super-rich in particular were able to record an average increase of 10 percent in their wealth. In contrast, those with $1 million to $5 million saw their wealth “only” grow by just over 5 percent, and those with less than $250,000 saw no real gain because their growth was below the rate of inflation.
Local Business and National Trends
The developments in the area of the super-rich shed light on the dynamics of the local economy, especially in Hesse. The fact that entrepreneurial families like the Strauss and the Heraeus are in the upper league of the rich shows not only the strength of the regional economy, but also its international network. In addition, we cannot overlook the fact that the richest German, Dieter Schwarz, with a fortune of 46.5 billion euros, also illustrates with Lidl how locally operating companies can become global giants.
How these trends will develop further and what social challenges will result from them remains to be seen. What is certain is that the debate about wealth distribution and social policy in Germany is far from over.