Leonhard Tietz AG

In August 1879, the Jewish textile merchant Leonhard Tietz opened a textile store in Stralsund that was just 25m² in size. From this, the large and prestigious department store chain "Leonhard Tietz AG" was to emerge in the coming decades. The largest department store group in Germany was also located in Krefeld on the corner of Friedrichstraße and St. Anton Straße from 1904. With 43 locations throughout Germany, the Jewish company employed around 15,000 people. 

As early as March 1933, the group's Jewish board members were forced to resign their posts under threats. They had to sell their shares far below value. The main shareholders in this were Commerzbank, Dresdener Bank and Deutsche Bank. These renamed the company "Westdeutsche Kaufhaus AG" in June 1933. At the same time, the Jewish managing director of the Krefeld branch, Julius Nassau, was dismissed.