Why is Wolfgang Grupp so fascinating?
Wolfgang Grupp is a phenomenon. He has managed to convey the impression that he has always been there - and always will be. This will not change, even though the 81-year-old is now handing over the management of his company Trigema to his two children. Because Grupp is timeless.
Perfectly tailored suit, neat tie, matching handkerchief, cufflinks, good manners - that's how Grupp is known. Remarkably, he has been known since he started using a bespectacled, shirt-wearing chimpanzee on television to advertise his company, which manufactures underwear and leisurewear. The commercials have achieved cult status. And so has Grupp.
The fact that a conservative medium-sized company from the provinces of Baden-Württemberg has managed to do this is impressive. There is no computer on his desk, he has his emails printed out and dictates his replies to his secretary. Grupp's attitude to the modern world of work is - to put it mildly - aloof. He does not work from home in his company. Reason: "Anyone who can work at home is unimportant". Grupp does work in an open-plan office. But that has nothing to do with New Work - he has everything in view. The hierarchy is clear.
Grupp runs his company in a very old-fashioned way and is the embodiment of the patriarch. He alone decides where things go. He demands discipline and performance. He attaches great importance to direct discussions: "If I have something to say to an employee, I go to him and tell him. He can ask questions and I know whether he has understood." Grupp is a "boss you can only love or hate", wrote the business magazine "Capital", adding: "Or both."
"Hello fans"
It is precisely this out-of-time quality that is charming to outsiders. Especially as Grupp also embodies the old-school family entrepreneur. He takes personal responsibility for the company and is liable with his private assets. He feels committed to his employees and guarantees their children an apprenticeship in the company. No one at Grupp has ever been laid off for operational reasons. He does not take out loans from banks - he wants to be completely independent in his decisions.
As old-fashioned as Grupp is, he is successful with Trigema. In 1969, he took over the company founded by his grandfather in 1919. It was heavily in debt at the time. Grupp led the company out of the red. Last year, turnover was around 127 million euros and the number of employees was around 1160. There used to be numerous textile companies in the area around Burladingen. Today, only Grupps remains. It produces exclusively in Germany. For a long time, this was considered anachronistic. However, the coronavirus pandemic has shown just how problematic global supply chains can be.
Turnover and the number of employees have remained fairly constant for years. "My motto has always been that my company should only grow to a size where I can still have a full overview and take responsibility for everything," he told Capital. Who Grupp doesn't like at all: highly paid managers who lead companies into bankruptcy. This goes down well with the public.
While other companies have huge marketing and advertising budgets, Trigema relies on Grupp. In talk shows and interviews, he is extremely opinionated. This annoys some, while others applaud him. The businessman knows how the media business works: Steep theses increase publicity.
His appearance, his suits and his views fascinate journalists, to whom he deliberately shows parts of his private life. He invites them to his thatched-roof villa and shows them his living room decorated with hunting trophies, his huge pool and his private chapel where he prays. He has had a family mausoleum built. He flies to appointments in a helicopter - with the words "Hello fans."
Grupp was an influencer before the term even existed.
The textile industry plays a significant role in Trigema's operations, as the company specializes in manufacturing underwear and leisurewear. Despite the company's traditional methods, its focus on producing exclusively in Germany has become less anachronistic in the face of global supply chain disruptions, such as the coronavirus pandemic.
Wolfgang Grupp's television commercials featuring a bespectacled, shirt-wearing chimpanzee have achieved cult status, becoming a symbol of the company and its connection to the textile industry.
Source: www.ntv.de
