• Mail-order company Schöpflin

  The Schöpflin family history begins in Haagen, which since 1974 has been a district of Lörrach in southern Germany.  It was here that in 1907 Wilhelm and Wilhelmine Schöpflin opened a general store.  In 1924, they boldly transformed the business into a textile wholesale company; and in 1930 they became pioneers of the mail-order business.  In the beginning, their employees delivered parcels to the post office by handcart, and then later by horse and cart. Before the Second World War, the Schöpflin company employed around 900 people – and the Schöpflin sons, Hans and Rudolf, had also started to work in the family business.  After the war and the period of occupation, the Schöpflin family began to further expand their business: during the so-called ‘economic miracle’ years, the Schöpflin catalogue could be found in most West German households.  And in southern Germany the Schöpflin company also ran shopping centres.  But the first economic problems began to emerge in the 1960s. In 1964, the Gustav Schickedanz family – and through them, the mail-order company, Quelle – acquired 74.9 percent of the shares in the Schöpflin company; and 1967 the remainder of the shares.  In 1999 Quelle closed its operation in Lörrach and dropped the Schöpflin brand name: thus, the Schöpflin mail order company was consigned to history.

• Study »Schöpflin during the Third Reich«

  In the fall of 2023, the Schöpflin family, together with the advisory board of the Schöpflin Foundation, commissioned a scientific investigation with the aim of examining the history of the Schöpflin mail order company and the entrepreneurial family during the Nazi dictatorship. In the fall of 2025, the Society for Business History (GUG) in Frankfurt presented its study »Schöpflin during the Third Reich«.

  Dr. Andrea H. Schneider-Braunberger's study focuses on the founders of the textile manufacturer Wilhelm Schöpflin, Haagen and the later mail order company Wilhelm Schöpflin (1881-1952) and his wife Wilhelmine Schöpflin (1884-1975) as well as their two sons Hans Schöpflin (1906-1985) and Rudolf Schöpflin (1910-1978). The study examines the political orientation of the owners, whether the company profited economically from the Nazi dictatorship, participated in »Aryanization«, or employed forced laborers.

  Hans Schöpflin (1906–1985) described in this study should not be confused with Hans W. Schöpflin (born 1941), the founder of the Schöpflin Foundation, the Panta Rhea Foundation, and the Spore Initiative.

  »As a foundation committed to a vibrant, resilient democracy and a diverse society, we believe it is essential to know and transparently present the history of the Schöpflin company and family during the Nazi dictatorship«, says Tim Göbel, Chief Executive Officer of the Schöpflin Foundation. To fulfil this responsibility, we have commissioned a scientific analysis of the historical sources.«

  The Schöpflin Foundation finances its annual activities from the business efforts of Hans W. Schöpflin (born 1941). Hans W. Schöpflin, who comes from a well-known family of entrepreneurs, achieved financial success in the early 1980s as a venture capitalist in the United States.

  The GUG study concludes that the Schöpflin family was »integrated into the Nazi system« from the 1930s onwards through party memberships and other functions in Nazi organizations. According to the study, the Schöpflin family's companies—the textile manufacturer Haagen, Wilhelm Schöpflin, and Gebr. Grossmann GmbH—and thus their owners did not profit from direct business with the Nazi regime, »above all, however, not from war-related production and the use of forced laborers that was usually associated with it.« According to the sources, there are three cases for taking advantage of Jews. Here, according to historian Dr. Schneider-Braunberger, »the family members were classified as profiteers; however, no economic ‘benefit’ for the family was derived from the business performance after the Second World War.«

  »The present study that has now been presented helps me to better understand the Nazi era and affects me deeply. I regret that we did not talk to our family personally about what happened when it was still possible«, says Hans W. Schöpflin, founder and chair of the board of the Schöpflin Foundation. »At the same time, I am convinced that it is absolutely necessary to deal with difficult chapters of one's own past and to take responsibility for what happened. The results of the investigation reinforce my belief that we, as a foundation, must oppose nationalism and authoritarian thinking. We stand for cosmopolitanism and democracy.«

  The GUG study is based on various archival sources from Germany and France. In addition, specialist literature on the Nazi era, the history of the city of Lörrach, and the history of the company was evaluated. There is no Schöpflin family or company archive.

  »It is extremely meaningful that we now have some answers to our many questions, even if the archives can never provide us with a complete picture. Dealing with this silent chapter of our own history has brought us closer together as a family. We have talked about the results and our memories in different constellations and across generations«, says Dr. Lisl Schöpflin. She is the great-granddaughter of the company's founders and deputy chair of the board of the Schöpflin Foundation. »The study shows us how important it is that we continue to actively and courageously promote a tolerant, diverse, and democratic society every day, between people and our communities. «

  You can read the entire study in English here.

  study in PDF format
• New Paths

  The third generation of the family – namely Hans Schöpflin’s children – have gone their own separate ways and have never been involved in the Schöpflin company.  Heidi Junghanss married and stayed in the area; the Schöpflin brothers, Hans Wilhelm and Albert, moved away.

  In the 1970s Hans W. Schöpflin became a successful manager and entrepreneur in the USA, in the first instance working alongside Sol Price.  Price always combined economic success with social responsibility.  This was a formative experience for Hans W. Schöpflin.  Since 1982 he has been a successful venture capitalist, investing in young companies whose ideas he liked – a concept that he would later use in his work with the Schöpflin Foundation.  When, in 1995, his son died of a drug overdose, Hans Schöpflin’s life once again took another turn: his philanthropic work led to the founding, in 1998, of the Panta Rhea Foundation in the USA and, in 2001, to the founding of the Schöpflin Foundation (in German – Schöpflin Stiftung) in Lörrach-Brombach in southern Germany.

  At the beginning of the 1970s Albert Schöpflin also emigrated to the USA. Here – and then later in Hamburg – he worked in advertising and journalism as a photographer and cameraman. Then he too had a major change of direction after 25 years in a successful career: today he works as an artist, under the name of Scopin.

• The Schöpflin Foundation

  In 2001 the Schöpflin siblings incorporated their original family home – the former Lindenhof Residence in Lörrach-Brombach in southern Germany built in 1896 - into the Schöpflin Foundation. In 2002 in the main house – known as the »Villa Schöpflin« – they opened a centre for addiction prevention. In 2011, the »Werkraum Schöpflin« was added to the Foundation's premises in Brombach. Since 2013, the foundation has supported social entrepreneurs and NGOs in Germany and across Europe who are committed to bold ideas for a vibrant democracy and a diverse society. Today, its funding is organized along three thematic lines: »Economy and Democracy«, »Learning and Participation«, and »Backbone and Relations«. In the fall of 2021, the Schöpflin School followed, on a neighboring property newly acquired by the Foundation. Across from the »Villa Schöpflin«, the participatory socio-cultural space FABRIC has also been created. In 2024, the subsidiary Publix – House for Journalism and Public Debate, was opened in Berlin.

  All three siblings now live in the region. Heidi Junghanss and Albert Schöpflin are involved in the Foundation’s Board. Hans Schöpflin served as President of the Foundation until the end of 2024. After handing over operational responsibilities, he continues his work as President and Chair of the Board. For future generations, the name Schöpflin will stand less for a mail order company than for the empowerment of children and young people, socio-political thought-provoking impulses, alternative forms of economic activity and experiments for a better future.

Schöpflin Philanthropic Ecosystem

• Panta Rhea Foundation

  The Panta Rhea Foundation was founded by Hans Schöpflin in the United States in 1998. It is committed to organizations that catalyze a just and sustainable world through food sovereignty, people-powered systems change, and grassroots resilience around the globe.

  Website
• Spore Initiative

  Spore is a cultural initiative facilitating programs on regenerative ecological practices through experiences of intergenerational learning. At the core of Spore's work is the weaving of dialogues and the nurturing of common grounds that exist between communities, organizations, and people who may be geographically or culturally far from one another but are linked through practices of care for the earth. In Berlin-Neukölln, Spore organizes cultural programs and learning experiences for all ages on such nature-based ways of living.

  Website