Germany: Gauselmann AG to rebrand to Merkur.com AG next year

As of January 1, 2024, Gauselmann AG will be renamed Merkur.com AG. The announcement was made by Chairman Paul Gauselmann, who founded the Gauselmann Group in 1957, at the "Der Branchengipfel" sales event in Frankfurt. Gauselmann AG was founded in 1980 as a holding company to provide central services for the various companies in the Gauselmann Group.

"The renaming to Merkur.com AG underscores our strategic focus, especially with a view to further digitalization. It sets a visible sign for our core competence, in line with our corporate goal of offering the best games and services for national and international gaming markets," Paul Gauselmann explained.

In a statement, the company noted the Merkur brand has played a central role since the 1970s and set new standards in the industry in 1976, when the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) granted the gaming license for the first proprietary slot machine developed by Paul Gauselmann, the Merkur B. Since then, numerous other games, machines, and gaming systems have been developed, produced, and distributed, as well as services offered under the Merkur brand.

As it became firmly established in the market, the Merkur brand and its logo, the laughing Merkur sun, went from "strength to strength," a PR notes. "Today, it is not only Germany’s most popular gaming and good luck symbol but has also achieved a high level of recognition internationally over the past decades," the company noted.

"The renaming is a recognition of our product as well as the symbol directly associated with it, the Merkur sun because this undoubtedly best embodies our motto: Enjoy the game," the Chairman commented.

One of the group's major subsidiaries, adp Gauselmann GmbH, already changed its name to adp Merkur GmbH back in March 2022. With the name change from Gauselmann AG to Merkur.com AG, the group is now continuing its brand alignment process. Merkur.com AG will thus in the future be the common umbrella for all production and sales channels, both nationally and internationally.

"This change is also a significant step for our international expansion," Paul Gauselmann explained. "We currently generate around 60% of our sales outside Germany, and this share is continuously growing. The internationally established name Merkur will allow us to further expand our presence in the global gaming industry."

"What’s more, in many countries around the world, the name Merkur is easier to pronounce and understand than the name Gauselmann," he added.

The change of name does not alter the ownership structure of Merkur.com AG. The company will continue to be owned by the Gauselmann Family Foundation, into which Paul Gauselmann and his family transferred their company shares with effect from 1 January 2016. As sole shareholder, the Foundation is responsible for all fundamental and strategic management decisions. Thus, the name Gauselmann will remain linked to the group going forward.

The Gauselmann Family Foundation is managed by a three-member board, which continues to be chaired by Paul Gauselmann. The Foundation’s Advisory Board is made up predominantly of members of the Gauselmann family.