Anton Schlecker's drugstore chain collapsed in 2012, and his son and daughter went to prison for taking 7 million euros out first

Anton Schlecker opened his first drugstore in 1975. By 2008 the chain had more than 15,000 stores in Europe and about 50,000 staff^†. He ran it as a registered sole trader, so he was personally liable for its debts. His children Lars and Meike held management roles. He filed for insolvency in Ulm on 23 January 2012. About 11,200 staff were dismissed in March, and the German stores closed by the end of June^†. The Stuttgart Regional Court found that insolvency had threatened since 1 February 2011 at the latest, and that money had been moved out after that date. Schlecker paid inflated rates to LDG, a staffing firm owned by his two children. He paid for their Caribbean holiday and for work on his son's flat. In January 2012, just before the filing, he sent LDG 7 million euros. Lars and Meike paid it to themselves the same day by express transfer, half each. On 27 November 2017 the court gave Anton a two-year suspended sentence and a fine for intentional bankruptcy. Lars and Meike received two years nine months and two years eight months for breach of trust, bankruptcy and delayed insolvency. Anton did not appeal. On 14 March 2019 the Federal Court of Justice cut both children's terms to two years seven months and confirmed the convictions. In June 2025 the family agreed to repay 800,000 euros in a separate insolvency case^†. In October 2026 Anton Schlecker is 81.