Gottlieb Duttweiler

From private chain to co-operative. Duttweiler started Migros in Zurich in 1925 with five lorries selling a few staples well below shop prices, then in 1941 converted the company into regional co-operatives and gave shares to customers, making them its owners. He barred alcohol and tobacco and committed a share of turnover to culture. Migros became Switzerland's largest retailer, a rare case of a founder giving his company away to its shoppers.