Author: Süddeutsche Zeitung
Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung
Publication date: 26.11.2025
Summary reading time: 2 minutes

Executive Summary

The Association of Family Businesses is experiencing a wave of departures of prominent members such as Rossmann and Vorwerk after the association's leadership advocated for dialogue with the AfD. The crisis reveals a fundamental values debate within the German business elite regarding how to deal with right-wing populist forces and threatens to destroy the unity of a traditionally influential business association.

Critical Guiding Questions

  • To what extent can business associations maintain political neutrality without compromising fundamental democratic values?
  • What long-term reputational risks arise for companies from positioning or not positioning themselves against political extremes?
  • How does this division change the political influence of family businesses in German economic policy?

Scenario Analysis: Future Perspectives

Short-term (1 year):
The association will continue to lose members and experience an internal leadership crisis. In parallel, alternative networks for family businesses with clear distance from right-wing extremist positions could form.

Medium-term (5 years):
The German corporate landscape could become increasingly fragmented along political value orientations. Consumers will increasingly evaluate companies based on their political positions and make purchasing decisions accordingly.

Long-term (10-20 years):
The division visible today could lead to a fundamental restructuring of economic policy interest groups in Germany, where ethical core values such as democracy and pluralism are non-negotiable as the basis for economic action.

Main Summary

Core Issue & Context

The Association of Family Businesses has advocated for dialogue with the AfD, parts of which are classified as right-wing extremist, leading to a wave of member departures. This is occurring in a sociopolitical climate where positioning toward right-wing populist forces is increasingly becoming a measure of corporate responsibility.

Key Facts

  • The drugstore chain Rossmann has terminated its membership in the Association of Family Businesses
  • The household appliance manufacturer Vorwerk has also left the association
  • The association's leadership had previously advocated for lifting the political "firewall" against the AfD
  • Other prominent members are currently also considering leaving
  • The drugstore chain dm faces pressure to justify its position

Stakeholders & Affected Parties

  • The Association of Family Businesses and its members
  • Affected companies such as Rossmann, Vorwerk, dm, and Melitta
  • Customers and employees of the affected companies
  • The political landscape, especially in the area of economic policy advocacy

Opportunities & Risks

Opportunities:

  • Clear value positioning can strengthen customer trust
  • Possibility of reforming economic policy alliances based on democratic core values
  • Greater transparency about companies' political values

Risks:

  • Loss of political influence through fragmentation of business associations
  • Polarization within workforces and customer groups
  • Instrumentalization of corporate positioning for political purposes

Action Relevance

Business leaders should fundamentally review and clearly communicate their own position on the relationship between business and politics. Current developments require a strategic realignment of association memberships and associated values that goes beyond pure economic policy interests.

References

Primary source:
Dispute over firewall against AfD: Rossmann and Vorwerk leave the Family Business Association

Verification status: ✅ Based on the information available in the article