This page was last updated on 12 October 2021 Click here to  Print this page Biography finder A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z     Index of first names The Douglas Group                 It all began with John Sharp Douglas seeking his fortune. Nearly 200 years ago the Scot emigrated to Germany with his dream in tow: making life more beautiful for everyone. Little did he know that, one day, his name would be synonymous with this idea: "Douglas makes life more beautiful." J. S. Douglas established a perfumery and soap factory in Hamburg in 1821 – writing the first chapter in one of the most fascinating success stories in European retail.   As early as the 19th century, Douglas was pioneering fine soap and perfumery products and his innovations earned him several international awards. The very first "Parfümerie Douglas" opened in 1910 on Jungfernstieg, Hamburg's finest shopping boulevard. In 1969, after decades of turbulence, Hussel AG (which was renamed DOUGLAS HOLDING AG in 1989) took over the management of the Douglas perfumeries in Hamburg, which now comprised six small stores, marking the first move toward diversification. At that time Hussel AG also owned the confectionery company Hussel Süßwarenfilialbetrieb GmbH which had been founded in 1949. The perfumery business prospered. In 1974, Douglas entered the international arena when it took over the Ruttner perfumery in Vienna. The establishment of numerous other foreign subsidiaries fueled rapid growth in the years that followed. The acquisition of the watch dealers Uhren Weiss in 1979 laid the foundations for the Group's jewelry operations – a segment strategically expanded by the investment in Christ in the 1990s. The Books division (Montanus) launched in 1979 grew initially through its takeover of the German bookseller Phönix. The merger with Thalia in 2001 was followed by the acquisition of majority holdings in Jäggi, Stauffacher and ZAP in Switzerland, Amadeus in Austria, and Bouvier/Gonski, Kober-Löffler, Gondrom and Buch & Kunst in Germany, making Books the DOUGLAS Group's second highest-selling division. The Group also owns the fashion stores Appelrath-Cüpper (since 1986) and the Hussel confectionery shops. Today the DOUGLAS Group is a top European lifestyle retailer with plans to further cement its market leadership.         Any contributions will be gratefully accepted     Errors and Omissions The Forum What's new? We are looking for your help to improve the accuracy of The Douglas Archives. If you spot errors, or omissions, then please do let us know Contributions Many articles are stubs which would benefit from re-writing. Can you help? Copyright You are not authorized to add this page or any images from this page to Ancestry.com (or its subsidiaries) or other fee-paying sites without our express permission and then, if given, only by including our copyright and a URL link to the web site.   If you have met a brick wall with your research, then posting a notice in the Douglas Archives Forum may be the answer. Or, it may help you find the answer! You may also be able to help others answer their queries. Visit the Douglas Archives Forum.   2 Minute Survey To provide feedback on the website, please take a couple of minutes to complete our survey.   We try to keep everyone up to date with new entries, via our What's New section on the home page. We also use the Community Network to keep researchers abreast of developments in the Douglas Archives. Help with costs Maintaining the three sections of the site has its costs.  Any contribution the defray them is very welcome Donate   Newsletter If you would like to receive a very occasional newsletter - Sign up! Temporarily withdrawn.

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Last modified: Friday, 02 August 2024