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Engelbert Strauss

German technical workwear and safety footwear. Multi-pocket trousers, work jackets, safety boots. Headquartered in Biebergemuend, Hesse.

Status: Approved
Founded
1948
HQ
Germany
Manufacturing
Germany,Bangladesh,Various
Ownership type
Family-owned
Parent
Engelbert Strauss GmbH & Co. KG / Strauss Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Status since
2026-04-25

Ownership

Founded 1948 by Engelbert Strauss as a broom and brush trader in postwar Germany. Run today in the third and fourth generation by brothers Steffen and Henning Strauss, the founder grandsons. EUR 1.4B revenue in 2023, ~1,700 employees. Privately held, no outside investors. Member of the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles since 2015 and the Fair Wear Foundation since 2016. US flagship store opened in Venice, California in October 2023. US headquarters being established in Columbus, Ohio in 2026. Has a perpetual trademark coexistence agreement with Levi Strauss signed in 2019 to avoid confusion.

Reversibility

What would change our verdict

Sale to outside investors. Departure from Fair Wear Foundation. Discontinuation of the in-house Schluechtern shoe factory.

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