One year after the change of boss - Wolfgang Grupp is still involved at Trigema, but "sometimes I leave earlier"

One year after the change of boss - Wolfgang Grupp is still involved at Trigema, but "sometimes I leave earlier" dpa • 17 hours • 3 minutes reading time The long-standing Trigema boss Wolfgang Grupp is known as the "King of Burladingen". A year ago he retired from management - but he still goes to the office. At the beginning of 2024, Wolfgang Grupp handed over the management of his traditional textile company Trigema in Burladingen to his children. Despite his retirement from the management position, he continues to be active in the office every day - always in a suit, tie and pocket square. "My children insisted that I sit here just like that and that I keep the desk. Now and then I'm glad that not everything is on me. Sometimes I leave earlier," explains the 82-year-old entrepreneur, who is still responsible for production planning. "I can't complain about my health, but you notice that you don't run down the stairs as quickly anymore." Seamless transition to the generational change at Trigema The experienced company boss handed over the management to his daughter Bonita and his son Wolfgang Grupp junior. Since January 1, 2024, Wolfgang Grupp junior has been a personally liable partner and managing director. Bonita Grupp will take over as a member of the management. Her mother, Elisabeth Grupp, will remain active as a partner, but is not represented in the management. Wolfgang Grupp senior emphasizes that the transition went smoothly due to his children's many years of work. "Of course, we had to find our way in our team and have built up certain structures. We meet once a week and discuss important things. We are happy that our father is still there to help and advise us," notes Bonita Grupp, who has been a member of the Zollernalb district council for the CDU since autumn. Wolfgang Grupp junior explains the responsibilities: "My sister takes care of personnel, e-commerce and marketing. My mother is responsible for the test shops. I am responsible for the B2B area, sales, logistics and IT." Trigema focuses on modernization Elisabeth Grupp explains that there have been only a few changes at Trigema. One innovation is the interim collections. "We decided to insert smaller collections throughout the year." According to Bonita Grupp, these interim collections, which include larger, graphic patterns, are ideal for presentation on social media, especially on Instagram. "We also don't want to be too fashionable. Because our aim is that our products can be worn for a long time." The company generates around 40 percent of its sales through the test shops, 40 percent through the online shop and 20 percent through direct customers. Trigema produces around 80,000 items every week. Bonita Grupp explains her political commitment Bonita Grupp says of her decision to go into politics: "We have two production plants in the district alone. The majority of our employees live here. We want the region to remain attractive for staff in the long term and for our region to retain the strength it has." Wolfgang Grupp junior emphasizes the need for politicians to reduce bureaucracy and become more flexible. "We have a shortage of workers and that is not just the case at Trigema. We are urgently looking for skilled workers. It would be good to find a system to offer tax benefits to older employees who want to work one or two years longer. Firstly, it does not burden the pension fund and secondly, it is productive for the economy." Overtime should also be given tax benefits, demands the 33-year-old. History and traditions of Trigema The former company owner Wolfgang Grupp made Trigema known through creative television commercials in which initially a real chimpanzee and later an animated 3D version of it advertised the products as an "AI fashion influencer". Wolfgang Grupp was born on April 4, 1942 in Burladingen and in 1969 took over the heavily indebted company, which was founded by his grandfather in 1919. Under his leadership, Trigema developed into Germany's largest T-shirt and tennis clothing manufacturer. Trigema never had short-time work or redundancies for operational reasons. The children of employees were always guaranteed an apprenticeship or job after they finished school. When many textile companies relocated their production to Asia in the 1970s, Grupp insisted on continuing to produce only in Germany. At first he supplied department stores, later wholesalers and finally discounters. In 1984, he decided to take sales into his own hands and opened the first daily business in the Allgäu.