Otto Beisheim (3 January 1924 – 18 February 2013) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

businessman and founder of

Metro AG Metro AG is a German multinational company based in Düsseldorf which operates business membership only cash and carry stores primarily under the Metro brand. Until 2020 it was also active in general retail business through Real division, wh ...

. In 2010, his net worth was estimated at US$3.6 billion.

Early life

In October 1942, Otto Besheim voluntarily joined the Waffen-SS. During this time, he temporarily served as ''

Sturmmann ''Sturmmann'' (, ) was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in the year 1921. The rank of ''Sturmmann'' was used by the '' Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS). The word originated during World War I when ''Sturm ...

'' (

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

) in the SS Division Leibstandarte in an artillery regiment on the Eastern Front. There is no historical indication that he was involved in war crimes during his assignment with the Waffen-SS. In 1943, Beisheim incurred a light injury in July in the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history. ...

in July 1943, and a severe injury in December near

Berdychiv Berdychiv ( uk, Берди́чів, ; pl, Berdyczów; yi, באַרדיטשעװ, Barditshev; russian: Берди́чев, Berdichev) is a historic city in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center ...

. In July 1944, following an extensive period of recovery in various military hospitals, Beisheim served as a Private in an administrative unit before he was taken as a British prisoner of war in May 1945. He was released in March 1946.

Career

After the war, Beisheim went into business. The first Metro Market opened in November 1963 in Essen-Altenessen. On 10 January 2004, Beisheim Center was officially opened on the northwest side of

Potsdamer Platz Potsdamer Platz (, ''Potsdam Square'') is a public square and traffic intersection in the center of Berlin, Germany, lying about south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag (German Parliament Building), and close to the southeast corne ...

in Berlin, built for 463 million euros, and including the Ritz-Carlton and

Marriott Marriott may refer to: People *Marriott (surname) Corporations * Marriott Corporation, founded as Hot Shoppes, Inc. in 1927; split into Marriott International and Host Marriott Corporation in 1993 * Marriott International, international hotel ...

chains. In 2009, he sold 5.2% of the shares of Metro AG to various national and international investors; a further 3.1% could be sold. The

WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management The WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management is a top German business school with campuses in Vallendar and Düsseldorf, Germany. WHU was founded in 1984 by the Koblenz Chamber of Commerce as the Wissenschaftliche Hochschule für Unternehmens ...

, in

Vallendar Vallendar is a town in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, approx. 4 km north-east of Koblenz. Vallendar is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipali ...

is named after him.

Death

On 18 February 2013 Beisheim committed suicide in his home in Rottach-Egern,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The Bisheim Group issued a statement that Bisheim chose to take his own life after being diagnosed with a terminal illness.

References

Businesspeople from Düsseldorf German billionaires 1924 births 2013 deaths Suicides in Germany Waffen-SS personnel Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Order of Merit of Berlin German philanthropists Metro Group people 20th-century philanthropists {{Germany-business-bio-stub