dm's founder stepped back in 2008, and his son took over the drugstore chain in 2019

Götz Werner founded dm-drogerie markt in Karlsruhe in 1973. In 2008 he handed operational leadership to Erich Harsch and moved to the supervisory board, beginning a deliberate separation of ownership from day-to-day management.

When Harsch announced he was leaving for Hornbach in August 2019, dm named Christoph Werner — the founder's son, a management-board member since 2011 — as his successor within a day. The company said its nine-person management structure ensured a smooth continuation of all tasks.

The handover happened from strength: dm was Europe's largest drugstore chain, with €10.7 billion revenue, 3,500 stores and 59,000 employees in FY2017/18. The staged succession meant the 2019 change was continuity, not a crisis.

dm stayed Europe's largest drugstore chain: €10.7B revenue, 3,500 stores and 59,000 staff in FY2017/18, with the founder's son then taking the top job.

Handing to a professional first removed the founder from daily operations.

The son was groomed inside the business for eight years before the top job.

The nine-person management structure absorbed the leadership change.

A staged succession — founder to seasoned manager, then to the next generation — lets a family firm renew leadership without changing its culture or losing momentum.

Christoph Werner continued dm's growth and its distinctive management model, keeping the chain family-owned and Europe's biggest drugstore operator.