German family discovers dark Nazi past
BERLIN — Germany’s second-richest family built its multibillion-dollar fortune with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Jimmy Choo shoes and Calvin Klein perfume — and forced laborers under the Nazis.
The Reimann family recently commissioned a historian to dig deep into company archives and shed light on its activities during the 12 years of Nazi rule. The initial revelations are damning.
Albert Reimann Sr. and his son Albert Reimann Jr., who ran the company in the 1930s and 1940s, were enthusiastic Hitler supporters and anti-semites who condoned the abuse of forced laborers, not only in their industrial chemicals company in southern Germany, but also in their own home.
Female workers from Eastern Europe were forced to stand at attention naked in their factory barracks. Those who refused were sexually abused. Workers were kicked and beaten.
News of the family’s dark history broke Sunday in the tabloid Bild. Peter Harf, the family spokesman, said the historian’s findings ‘‘completely matched’’ those of the family.
‘‘Reimann Sr. and Reimann Jr. were guilty,’’ Harf said. ‘‘They belonged in jail.’’
The Reimann case stands out for the particular brutality detailed in some of the reported documents, and the fact that father and son appear to have been involved in the abuse themselves, said Andreas Wirsching, director of the Munich-based Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History.
Albert Reimann Sr., who died in 1954, and Albert Reimann Jr., who died in 1984, reportedly never spoke about the Nazi era. It was only in the early 2000s that the younger generation stumbled across material that suggested their father and grandfather had been committed Nazis.
In 2014, the family asked economic historian Paul Erker to document the history. Erker’s research continues, but what has emerged so far has stunned the family, Harf said.
‘‘We were ashamed and were white as a wall," Harf said.
The family plans to donate 10 million euros, or about $11.3 million, to a charity that has yet to be identified.
The Reimanns initially made their fortune from a chemical company that became Reckitt Benckiser, the $58 billion consumerproducts giant whose brands include Lysol. They then channeled much of their wealth into JAB Holding Co., a conglomerate that has become one of the biggest players in the consumer world.
JAB has spent billions to become a rival to the likes of Starbucks and Nestle by buying chains like Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Krispy Kreme and Pret A Manger. Last year, it also helped podcoffee company Keurig Green Mountain buy Dr Pepper Snapple for nearly $19 billion.
It also controls cosmetics giant Coty, owner of Calvin Klein fragrances, and previously owned luxury fashion labels like Jimmy Choo.