Karl Wlaschek

Karl Wlaschek (4 August 1917 – 31 May 2015) was the founder of the Austrian supermarket chain Billa. According to the magazine Trend, Wlaschek was one of the five richest Austrians. In 1996 he sold Billa for Euro 1.1 billion.

Early life Wlaschek studied chemistry at TU Wien until he was he was conscripted in 1938, serving in France and the Soviet Union. After World War II, he worked as a bar pianist and bandleader under the pseudonym "Charly Walker".

Career In 1953, Karl Wlaschek opened a perfumery in the Margareten district of Vienna and offered brand-name products at discount prices. Warenhandel Karl Wlaschek (WKW) grew steadily and by 1960 already comprised 45 branches in Austria. Wlaschek transferred the concept to the grocery business, introduced the self-service system and named his stores BILLA (for "Billiger Laden" – "Cheap Shop") in 1961. The merger was notified to the European Commission in July 1996 and approved in August.

After failing to get in on the privatization of Creditanstalt (then the second largest bank in Austria), Wlaschek began investing his wealth in real estate. He owned eight palaces in the center of Vienna (including Kinsky, Ferstel, and Harrach), but also the Andromeda Tower and the Ares Tower (both part of Donau City), the former building of the Vienna Stock Exchange, and numerous other buildings in the city center. He had two children.

In November 2005, Adolf Haslinger, former rector of the University of Salzburg and a long-standing friend of Wlaschek, published an authorized biography.

Awards and honors 1989: Golden Decoration of Honor for Services to the State of Vienna 1993: Grand Decoration of Honor in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria 1997: trend magazine’s "Man of the Year" Award 2008: Grand Decoration of Honor in Silver with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria