Shortly after the sale
A traditional businessman from Hanover suddenly died
11/18/2025 – 04:27Reading time: 1 minute.
It wasn’t until July that he gave up his life’s work. Now the owner of the traditional Kaiser coat shop has died unexpectedly. What is known about him.
Claus Schlenz, longtime owner of the Kaiser coat shop in Hanover, has died. The 81-year-old man died suddenly and unexpectedly on November 6, as reported by the “Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung”. He was still present at his company until shortly before his death.
Schlenz ran the traditional store for decades and made it a fixture in Hanover’s retail sector. In 1964 he joined the family business, founded by his grandfather Hugo Kaiser in 1923. Under his leadership, the store grew into a leading address for high-end women’s clothing. By its 100th anniversary in 2023, the company employed approximately 170 people.
Just last July, Schlenz sold the coat house to Austrian fashion entrepreneur Peter Graf. There are no successors in the family. Graf announced that he would be named after what he claims is the largest women’s fashion house in German-speaking countries.
The trader was considered quiet and avoided publicity. Martin Prenzler, the city’s executive director of communities, praised Schlenz as “a true gentleman – one of the last of his kind.” “He left an impressive mark,” Prenzler said.
