Portrait of Theo Albrecht Jr & family

Rank #178

Theo Albrecht Jr & family

Net worth $16.3B

Aldi, Trader Joe's · Germany

Born
Jan 01, 1951
Age
75
Source
Aldi, Trader Joe's
Residence
Mulheim an der Ruhr
Citizenship
Germany
Marital status
Children
1
Education

Net worth over time

Biography

  • Theo Albrecht Jr. is an heir to Aldi, one of the world's great retail fortunes, along with the heirs of his brother, Berthold.
  • Aldi was founded in 1913 by his father Theo Sr. and uncle, Karl Sr. as a corner grocery store in Essen, that they began expanding after World War II.
  • Propagating the discount revolution in German retailing, they ran their Aldi supermarket chain based on a low-price strategy similar to Walmart.
  • In 1961, the brothers split ownership: Karl Sr. took the stores in southern Germany, plus rights to the Aldi brand in the U.K., Australia and the U.S.
  • Theo Sr. got the stores in northern Germany and the rest of Europe. In 1971, he bought U.S. grocery discounter Trader Joe's.
  • Little is known about the personal lives of family members. Theo Jr. sits on the board of the family foundation.
  • His mother, Cecilie, died in November 2018 at age 92.