When the ex-model Lena Gercke announced a few weeks ago that she was pausing as a presenter on "The Voice of Germany", the reports in the celebrity magazines rolled over. She would rather focus on another project that only a few fans have had on the screen so far - her own start-up.
Under the name Leger, Gercke builds up a brand that sells both fashion and home furnishings. The entrepreneur has concluded an exclusive contract with the online retailer About You, which includes her fashion line "Leger by Lena Gercke".
The Otto subsidiary and Gercke have been cooperating with each other since 2017. Since 2020, she has also been selling interior furnishings such as sofas, tables and scented candles via the "Leger Home by Lena Gercke" line - including at Otto and Baur, which also belongs to the Otto Group. To bring all these products together, Lena Gercke officially founded Leger GmbH in Berlin about a year ago. Around 25 people now work for the company.
There are three things in particular. First: the company structure. Because About You has a 40 percent stake in the company. Gercke holds the remaining 60 percent through its LGC Holding GmbH. In a current job description for Leger on the company's About You website, the Otto subsidiary describes the brand as a "spin-off".
Second: The About You founder and boss Tarek Müller is also a managing director at Leger GmbH, alongside Lena Gercke.
And thirdly: It shouldn't stop with fashion and interior design, other products are being planned. So Gercke is building something big and with the manpower, expertise and reach of Otto behind him, the chances are not bad that this can work.
As of this writing, Leger is among the strongest brands on the platform, according to About You. However, this is not surprising, after all, the online shop has a strong interest in making a brand in which you are involved successful and should invest accordingly in marketing or position it prominently on your own site.
Lena Gercke always had the dream of her own company, as she says in an interview with “Gründerszene”. "I worked as a model for a few years and realized that I didn't want to do it forever. Because it wasn't enough for me, didn't fulfill me completely," says Gercke. "I wanted to create something of my own, not just hold other people's stuff in my hands."
The inspiration for this goes back to her time as a model in her early 20s in the city of New York. "This fast pace of life, the people, inspired me," says the 34-year-old. "Whenever I was in New York, it was a whole new world. Everyone there is searching, wants to become something, create something. I also found out more about myself and what I want.”
The entrepreneur explains why she did not start Leger GmbH alone, but together with the Otto subsidiary About You, by saying that she had a strong team behind her there, with a lot of know-how. “We were able to implement all the creative ideas I had quickly and efficiently – it didn't have to go through ten thousand floors before a budget was approved. This young, creative, free way inspired me. They understood me, my ideas and my modern, fast thinking.”
Leger leads Lena Gercke as CEO, Tarek Müller is registered as second managing director, but is not actively involved in day-to-day business. However, the two would exchange information in weekly jour fixes. "He's deeply involved, knows all the numbers and we're doing the company development side by side," says Gercke about Müller.
In addition to her break on the TV show "The Voice", a second headline made the rounds in the celebrity media a few days ago: Lena Gercke is pregnant. For the Leger company, it means that Gercke will also take a break there, at least temporarily: "I'll go on parental leave when the child comes, and of course I'll have to pull out first." At the same time, she's looking for a co- CEO. That had already been planned beforehand, "but now the pressure is higher to find someone who can steer the ship when I'm away."
In addition to her own start-up, Lena Gercke is also involved in another start-up with her LGC Holding, as the industry service Startupdetector for “Gründerszene” found out: She invested in the real estate newsletter 26 Homes together with Lea-Sophie Cramer and sits in the Advisory Board. Gercke and 26 Homes founder Dorothea Metasch are good friends, as various holiday pictures on Instagram show. In addition, Gercke is the current advertising face of the fast delivery service Flink, together with TV celebrity Joko Winterscheidt.
In addition to the start-up scene, Lena Gercke parks her fortune in real estate. According to a spokeswoman, she invests her money “rather conservatively” without taking any major risks, for example by focusing on good locations in large cities.
With another investment, however, Gercke took a greater risk: As she revealed to the gala, her first investment was a fund for the construction of container ships. That was a "real flop" because the money was "largely gone," said Gercke.
Now the earlier model is moving in the start-up environment in an area that promises high returns with high risk. However, this time, as CEO, she has a chance to steer the risk in her favor.
"Everything on shares" is the daily stock exchange shot from the WELT business editorial team. Every morning from 7 a.m. with our financial journalists. For stock market experts and beginners. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music and Deezer. Or directly via RSS feed.
