Paul Gauselmann, chairman at Merkur, celebrates turning 90 and looks back in reflection of his 67 years involved with the gaming business.
As a founder, vending machine magnate, corporate leader, benefactor and family man, there’s no ambition Paul Gauselmann has not accomplished in his lifetime. On 26 August, the stalwart entrepreneur of the post-war era will celebrate his 90th birthday as he continues to guide the way for Merkur Group along with his management team.
His focus remains on the company’s future and the welfare of its 15,000 employees: “For 67 years, I have lived with the constant hopes and fears for the success of our corporate group,” stated Gauselmann.
Reflecting on his journey from launching a business in 1957 without any capital to overseeing an internationally acclaimed group of companies with sales revenues of approximately four billion euros, Paul Gauselmann said, “Sometimes I have to pinch myself… of course, like anyone, I’ve made mistakes. However, the major business decisions have, by and large, turned out well for me.” Credit for this is also due to his wife Karin, his companion through 58 years of shared trials and triumphs. “She’s a formidable character; I couldn’t have come this far without her.”
Paul Gauselmann’s early career started out in the debris of bombed-out post-war Germany, where he played as a child born in Münster in 1934 and laid the foundation for his entrepreneurial acumen. By the age of ten, he was already contributing to the family income by collecting and selling scrap metal, copper and tin from the rubble. The war also taught him something else: the importance of play. In the hours spent in air raid shelters, he would play games like skat, doppelkopf, halma, chess and nine men’s morris with his brothers Willi and Eugen.
Paul Gauselmann understood first-hand the fascination and positive impact of gaming. It provided the boys with a chance to escape the harrowing reality around them and immerse themselves in the carefree realm of games.
