Volkart brothers

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The trading house Gebrüder Volkart , based in Winterthur , was founded in 1851 and was a leading company in Switzerland in the trading of colonial goods and, until 1999, the fourth largest cotton trader in the world. The company no longer has its own business.

history

Two years after the abolition of the navigation file for India , the collective company Gebrüder Volkart, based in Winterthur and Bombay , was founded on February 1, 1851 by Salomon Volkart and his brother Johann Georg Volkart . The trading company imported cotton , tea , oils , coffee , cocoa , spices , rubber and other colonial goods from India and exported soap , paper , matches , watches , textiles , machines and other industrial goods to the subcontinent. The business was successful and branches were established in Colombo (1857), Cochin (1859) and Karachi (1861). In Winterthur, the family company bought the Villa Wehntal on Römerstrasse as a representative company and residence from 1859 , but moved to the so-called “Nötzlihaus” five years later.

When Johann Georg Volkart died unexpectedly in 1861, Salomon Volkart had to continue the business with partners outside the family. During this time, a subsidiary was founded in London (1868). In 1871 the place of business had to be changed again and they moved to the Haus zur Gloria on Stadthausstrasse. Due to political and economic difficulties, frequent changes in the management of his company and his poor health, Salomon Volkart retired from active business activities in 1875 and only worked as a silent partner until his death in 1893. In 1879 the head office changed again and moved into the building of the former bank in Winterthur . In 1905, the company erected the Volkart House at Winterthur Central Station as its first administrative building .

With the marriage of Lilly Volkart (1855–1916) to Theodor Reinhart , the business came into the hands of the Reinhart family in 1912, who still manage the business to this day. In 1926 the company already had 80 branches in India and was thus more or less representative of Switzerland in India. The headquarters also had to be changed again and the company moved to the Volkart brothers administration building at St. Georgenplatz 2, right by the train station - they stayed there until 1955, when they moved back to the Volkart House. Theodor's two sons, Georg and Werner , were later involved in the company and, like their father, have also made a name for themselves as patrons . In 1985 Andreas Reinhart took over the company in the fifth generation and became the sole owner of the company by buying out the remaining family members. As a result, he began a lively investment and participation policy, which, however, largely failed and thus also weakened the company. He also increased its commitment in the cultural sector, where the company now has several foundations, played a key role in the establishment of the Fotomuseum Winterthur and is also involved in the arts.

In 1989, the company sold its coffee business to the Erb Group , and the coffee business has since operated under the name Volcafe , which recalls its origins. Until the end of the cotton trade in 1999, the trading house Volkart was the fourth largest cotton trader worldwide. Also until 1999 the trading house had a majority stake in Suhrkamp- Verlag, which was co-founded in 1951 . The Volkart company's website now only refers to the various foundations; the former large trading company no longer has its own business activity - apart from various participations.

literature

  • Hans R. Volkart et al. Volkart - The story of a world trading house . Winterthur 1989/90.
  • Walter H. Rambousek, Armin Vogt, Hans R. Volkart. Volkart: The story of a world trading company. Frankfurt a. M. 1990.
  • Christof Dejung : The threads of the global market. A social and cultural history of world trade using the example of the trading company Gebrüder Volkart 1851-1999. Böhlau, Cologne 2013, ISBN 978-3-412-20986-5 .

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