Müller Drugstore Chain Founder’s Inheritance Dispute with Adopted Children Raises Ethical Questions

Erwin Müller, the founder and CEO of Müller, a leading drugstore chain in Europe, has been embroiled in a contentious legal battle with his three adult adopted children since Monday. The hearing between Müller and his wife Anita, and their adopted children, took place in the Ulm district court. The adopted children are seeking their rightful inheritance share, claiming that they were coerced into waiving it in a contract signed years ago.

The dispute centers on a contract that allegedly transferred ownership of the family’s drugstore chain to Erwin Müller and his wife Anita. The adoptees claim that this contract is immoral and void, arguing that they were not fully aware of its terms when they signed it. Their lawyer presented this argument before the judge during the hearing. Despite being present at the hearing, the three adoptees chose not to comment on the case.

The Müller couple was represented by a lawyer who declined to comment on the ongoing proceedings. Erwin Müller, now 91 years old, began his career as a hairdresser in Bavaria before expanding his business into cosmetics and drugstore items. In 1969, he was inspired by drugstores he saw in Canada and the USA and opened his first pure drugstore in Ulm in 1973. Today, Müller’s drugstore chain employs over 35,000 people and has more than 900 branches across Europe.

Despite the ongoing legal battle with his adopted children, Müller’s drugstore chain continues to operate and serve customers across Europe. The company’s history from a small salon in Bavaria to a large drugstore chain with thousands of employees remains an inspiring success story in the retail industry.