Over the past 200 years, many courageous women have driven the continuous growth of DOUGLAS with their passion and innovative spirit. Among them are visionaries such as the Carstens sisters, whose drive and entrepreneurial spirit set the tone for our company and continue to shape it to this day. On the occasion of Women's History Month, we look back and remember their achievements.
Our history is the foundation on which we stand - it shapes us, inspires our actions and makes us who we are today. Throughout our more than 200-year history, we have been influenced by many women - including the Carstens sisters, who turned us into a beauty retailer at the beginning of the twentieth century, laying the foundation for us to become Europe's leading omni-channel provider of premium beauty today. Our history shows that the female spirit of innovation has always shaped us.
The beginnings of the today's DOUGLAS Group
The origins of the DOUGLAS Group date back to 1821, when the Scot John Sharp Douglas moved to the up-and-coming Hanseatic city of Hamburg. The 30-year-old entrepreneur founded a soap factory on the island of "Kehrwieder," where our history began. With his innovative skills and modern marketing strategies, he quickly made a name for himself beyond Hamburg's city borders.
Berta Kolbe: A pioneer in a male-dominated world
John Sharp Douglas in the mid-19th century, his trusted associate Theodor Hopff and Douglas's sons carried on his legacy. With the advent of mass production and increased competition, the company faced new challenges. Finally, in 1878, the family sold the soap factory to Hamburg merchants Gustav Adolph Heinrich Runge and Johann Adolph Kolbe. The Kolbe family would own the company for the longest period of time.
Almost a century after the soap factory was founded, the first woman took the helm in 1909: Berta Kolbe. At a time when the world of work was still very much a man's world and women did not have the right to vote, Berta Kolbe was an exception in the workplace. While the so-called "suffragettes" were fighting for women's rights in Great Britain, Berta Kolbe was a pioneer in Germany and became the head of the company.
From the initial idea to the perfumery: the Carstens sisters open the first DOUGLAS store
It was a spring morning in 1910 when Berta Kolbe received an unexpected offer. The sisters Anna and Maria Carstens, ambitious entrepreneurs from Hamburg, presented her with the vision of opening a perfumery under the name "Douglas”. The deal was both simple and promising: the sisters received permission to use the renowned name, while Berta Kolbe was offered a low-risk distribution channel for her products. A short time later, on June 1, 1910, the first "Parfümerie J. S. Douglas Söhne" - similar to the one we know today - opened its doors in Hamburg's most exclusive shopping location, Neuer Wall 5. The collaboration between the three businesswomen heralded a new era in the history of DOUGLAS. The store quickly became one of Hamburg's most prestigious addresses.
Female empowerment is part of our DNA
A glance at the company's history shows that women's empowerment has always been an integral part of the DOUGLAS Group's DNA: born and raised from the vision of two sisters, many courageous women with passion and innovative spirit have since driven the continuous growth of our company. And they continue to do so today: we have an above-average proportion of women in our workforce (around 94 percent in our stores and around 71 percent in our offices in fiscal year 2023/24) and 88 percent of our management positions are held by women (97 percent in our stores and 61 percent in our offices in fiscal year 2023/24). Last year, 100,000 women from around the world voted us a Top Company for Women, and we are committed to continuing to support and advance women's careers. This includes a strong focus on equal opportunity, ensuring that women are represented, and promoting initiatives to attract and develop talent - such as mentoring programs and training to prepare women for future leadership roles. At the same time, we are committed to inclusion and gender equality - in line with our purpose to make life better for employees, customers and the world around us.
