Engelbert Strauss

In the beginning August Strauss and his two sons, including Engelbert (*1908) traded in brooms and brushes that were manufactured in Kassel, a district of Biebergemünd. Due to its focus on manufacturing brooms (German Besen) this district is still commonly called Besenkassel.[2][3]

In 1948 after the second world war Engelbert Strauss continued the family trading tradition and founded the company bearing his name. He expanded the product range to include work protection clothing. The first products were gloves, which still play a central role in the company’s portfolio. In the 1960s the company switched to mail order business, and started its catalogue business in 1973. The product range was gradually expanded to include garments and shoes.[4] The company started sending out catalogues in 1973. Gradually, the range was expanded to include clothing and shoes.[5] Engelbert Strauss offers its own textile finishing, including embroidery, printing and laser technology. There are also products for children.

Today, the third and fourth generations manages the family company jointly. Engelbert's son Norbert Strauss and his two sons, Steffen and Henning Strauss, are the managing directors. The company employs around 1,500 staff.[6]

Since the early 1990s, the company has been headquartered in Biebergemünd. In 1994 a new 40,000 sqm building with a logistics centre was erected on the company grounds in Biebergemünd, around 50 km northeast of Frankfurt am Main. In 1996, Engelbert Strauss expanded and opened its first subsidiary in Austria. After the founding of a second subsidiary in England in 2002, others followed, including in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Denmark.[7]

In addition to an online shop, the company operates four of its own flagship stores, known as workwearstores, in Biebergemünd, Hockenheim, Bergkirchen and Oberhausen.

In 2020, Engelbert Strauss opened the CI Factory, another logistics and dispatch centre with its own production facilities in the immediate vicinity of its headquarters.[8] At the Schlüchtern site, there is its own shoe factory as well as the option of customising workwear.[9] The company also produces in 28 countries worldwide: in Europe (14%), Asia (85%) and Africa (1%). Some of the production facilities in Asia manufacture exclusively for the company.[10] The largest production partners are located in Laos (12 % PA), Vietnam (15 % PA) and Bangladesh (36 % PA).[11]

Engelbert Strauss has been a member of the Fair Wear Foundation since 2016, an independent, non-profit organisation that works with member companies and production sites to improve working conditions in the textile industry.[12] Another partner is the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Together with GIZ, Strauss has been establishing a chair for sustainability and textile innovation at the Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST)[13] in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka since February 2020. Other project partners are the Technical University of Dresden (TUD) and the United Nations University Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES). In addition, Strauss has been a member of the Alliance for Sustainable Textiles since 2015.[14] The German government's initiative aims to achieve social and ecological improvements in global textile production. The company has been a Bluesign system partner since 2013 and supports the Cotton made in Africa initiative.[15]

Since 2010, Strauss has been a partner of the German national football team and a partner of the ÖFB Cup. From 2012 to 2014 the company was an advertising partner of the Four Hills Tournament and from 2012 to 2013 a sponsor of the FIM Endurance World Championship. Since 2012, the company has been an advertising partner of the DFB Cup as well as a perimeter partner of the Austrian national football team. Since 2014, the company has also repeatedly acted as sponsor of the European Women's and Men's Handball Championships[16] and the Champions Hockey League. In 2015, it also began sponsoring the Swiss Super League. In the 2019/2020 DFB Cup season, the Engelbert Strauss logo was featured on the sleeves of Eintracht Frankfurt's jersey,[17] and since the summer of 2021 there has been a cooperation with FC Bayern Munich.[18]

In 2019, Strauss cooperated with the US rock band Metallica[19] and outfitted the tour crew.[20] Engelbert Strauss is also an official partner of the UEFA Europa League and the Europa Conference League until 2024.[21] The company is also involved in talent development in the field of esports and works closely here with the esports player foundation. Since January 2022, Engelbert Strauss has been the main sponsor and namesake of the League of Legends league "Strauss Prime League", which functions as the game's highest-ranking league in the DACH region.[22] [23]

In 2015 the company was awarded the German Logistics Prize and in 2016 it was awarded the European Logistics Prize.[24] Strauss was nominated ‘Top National Employer 2017’ in the category ‘Clothing, footwear and sports equipment’.[25] Also, the company won the prize as ‘the most popular family business’ in the category textile company and 33rd out of 100 overall.[26]

• Engelbert Strauss official website