Gauselmann donates five million euros to the town of Lübbecke

The small town of Lübbecke in North Rhine-Westphalia can look forward to a windfall from an entrepreneur worth millions. To be more precise, Paul Gauselmann and the Paul and Karin Gauselmann Foundation have signed a donation agreement totalling five million euros in favour of the town of Lübbecke. But what prompted the German entrepreneur and CEO of the Merkur Group to make such a generous gesture?

The town of Lübbecke receives the largest donation in the town's 1,200-year history. Without receiving anything in return, Paul Gauselmann and his foundation have poured a seven-figure sum into the town's coffers in one fell swoop. Among other things, the money will be used to finance community-orientated and charitable projects in the Lübbecke area. We first reported in mid-January that the Gauselmann Group is now called the Merkur Group. However, Paul Gauselmann remains the CEO of the company, which employs around 15,000 people.

City of Lübbecke receives five million euros as a gift - but why?

In a public statement, the now 89-year-old entrepreneur explains that he has always felt very close to the town of Lübbecke. Today's Merkur Group has been operating its slot machine production facility in Lübbecke for over 50 years and employs around 1,100 people at this site alone. Lübbecke is home to the sales, research and logistics departments, among others.

The mayor of Lübbecke, Frank Haberbosch, was naturally delighted with the generosity of the well-known local entrepreneur:

"Mr Gauselmann's generosity is unique and deserves the utmost respect. I can only express my sincere thanks for the donation."

So it's no wonder that Paul Gauselmann has been an honorary citizen of the town of Lübbecke for some time now. The full press release from 11 June 2024 can be found here.

What will the donation to the town of Lübbecke be used for?

The projects to be financed with the donation from Paul Gauselmann and his foundation are diverse. Overall, the projects are aimed at infrastructure improvements, educational initiatives and social programmes, for example. The projects financed by Gauselmann are intended to further improve the quality of life in Lübbecke in the long term.

Gauselmann is also generous in other ways

The donation of five million euros in favour of the town of Lübbecke is not the 89-year-old's only good deed. As recently as April, Paul Gauselmann announced that he and his foundation would be donating 8.7 million euros to the neighbouring town of Espelkamp.

Paul Gauselmann has also pledged to provide financial support for the construction of two daycare centres in Gestringen and Espelkamp. The donation here is estimated at a further six million euros. As a result, the entrepreneur and his foundation have donated a total of around 20 million euros within just a few months. In Lübbecke, Gauselmann purchased a surgical robot for the town's hospital three years ago for around 1.4 million euros.

The company, which is led by Paul Gauselmann as CEO, last generated turnover of 1.83 billion euros in the 2021 financial year. Just last December, we reported that the Merkur Group will take over ten casinos in Lower Saxony.

Image source: https://merkur.group/presse/meldungen-und-neuigkeiten/pressemitteilungen/2024-06-11-paul-gauselmann-spendet-der-stadt-lübbecke-fünf-millionen-euro.html (Pressebild)