Jump to content

Karl-Heinz Kipp

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Karl-Heinz Kipp
Born(1924-02-12)12 February 1924
Alzey, Germany
Died11 October 2017(2017-10-11) (aged 93)
Ascona, Switzerland
Occupation(s)Founder, Massa AG [de]
SpouseHannelore Kipp
Children2, including Ursula Bechtolsheimer-Kipp
RelativesLaura Bechtolsheimer (granddaughter)

Karl-Heinz Kipp (12 February 1924[1] – 11 October 2017)[2] was a German billionaire, and founder of the Massa AG [de] department store chain. He sold the business but kept the property, and had a large property portfolio.[3] In 2017, Forbes estimated his net wealth at US$4.9 billion.[3]

Career

[edit]

Kipp began his career in 1948 selling clothes and opened his first Massa department store in 1965.[3] At the beginning of the 1970s Kipp built the first large-scale consumer market[clarification needed] on a "greenfield site". Within a few years, 30 more Massa supermarkets followed in southwestern Germany. In 1981, Kipp introduced financial shopping.[clarification needed] In 1986, the Massa supermarkets shares went public. In 1987, Kipp sold his remaining shares but kept the real estate, which he rented to the retailer Metro AG.[3]

Real estate

[edit]

Kipp owned real estate in the U.S., including 950 Third Avenue in Manhattan.[3]

In 1980 Kipp acquired the five-star Tschuggen Grand Hotel in Arosa.[4] In addition, he owned five Swiss hotels and resorts in his "Tschuggen Hotel Group", including the Hotel Eden Roc in Ascona, the Carlton Hotel in St Moritz and the Tschuggen Grand Hotel in Arosa.[5]

Personal life

[edit]

Kipp and his wife, Hannelore resided in Arosa, Switzerland.[3]

His son, former Florida resident Ernst-Ludwig Kipp, died in 2003, leaving behind his seven children. His daughter Ursula married Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer and together they have three sons, Felix (a singer with the rock group Hey Negrita), Goetz, and Till (the founder of Arosa Capital Management and amateur racing driver who competes in the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship),[6][7] and a daughter, Laura, an Olympic dressage rider.[8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Heinz Kipp - NamenDB Informationen". namendb.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  2. ^ KG, VRM GmbH & Co. (12 October 2017). "Massa-Gründer und Alzeyer Ehrenbürger Karl-Heinz Kipp gestorben". allgemeine-zeitung.de. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Karl-Heinz Kipp". Forbes. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  4. ^ "Tschuggen Hotel Group – 40 Jahre Schweizer Luxus-Hotellerie – Starling-PR | Travel PR Agency". 31 October 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Karl Heinz Kipp in the shaken History of the Hotel Carlton". thepalacehotelsoftheworld.com. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  6. ^ Rosenberg, Rebecca; Schram, Jamie (18 February 2014). "Woman accused of cracking bottle over club-goer's head". New York Post. New York City. Retrieved 22 June 2022. Till Bechtolsheimer — grandson of billionaire real-estate baron Karl- Heinz Kipp
  7. ^ Weathertech Sportscar Championship Till Bechtolsheimer, imsa.com. Retrieved 26 May 2022. Archived 2022-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ The Sunday Times - Rich List - Dr Wilfried and Ursula Bechtolsheimer and family, 27 April 2008