Portrait of Beate Heister

Rank #166

Beate Heister

Net worth $17.4B

Supermarkets · Germany

Born
Jan 01, 1951
Age
75
Source
Supermarkets
Residence
Citizenship
Germany
Marital status
Children
0
Education

Net worth over time

Biography

  • Beate Heister is the daughter of Karl Albrecht Sr. and heir to the Aldi retail fortune, along with her billionaire brother, Karl Albrecht Jr.
  • After World War II, Karl Sr. and his brother, Theo Sr., who died in 2010 at age 88, took over their family's corner grocery store in Essen, Germany.
  • In 1961, the brothers split ownership: Karl Sr. took the stores in southern Germany (Aldi Sued), plus rights to the Aldi brand in the U.K., Australia and the U.S.
  • In the U.S., Aldi has more than 2,000 stores in 36 states, offering low prices and no-frills shopping.
  • Theo Sr. got the stores in northern Germany and the rest of Europe. In 1971, he bought U.S. grocery chain Trader Joe's.
  • Beate Heister has never worked at Aldi Sued (South), but her son Peter Max Heister heads the advisory board. Son Christian also serves on the board.