Karl Albrecht
Co-founder of Aldi, reclusive German billionaire.
Last updated
Born on 20 February 1920, Karl Hans Albrecht, together with his brother Theo, established the discount supermarket chain Aldi.[1] For numerous years, Karl Albrecht held the position of Germany's wealthiest individual; the Hurun Report's February 2014 global ranking placed him at number 21.[1]
Key facts and history
Karl trained in a delicatessen shop, while Theo completed an apprenticeship in their mother's store.[2][3] This division led to the opening of the first Aldi (short for Albrecht Discount) in 1962, creating Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd.[4][5] Karl and Theo Albrecht grew up in Essen, Germany, within a Catholic household that had limited financial means.[6] Following the war's end, the two brothers assumed control of their mother's shop and established the company Albrecht KG.[2]
A dispute in 1961 about selling cigarettes caused the brothers to split their stores; Theo managed locations north of the Ruhr, while Karl oversaw those to the south.[7][8] In the years leading up to his death, Karl Albrecht lived a highly secluded life and avoided any public engagement.[2]
What the cited sources add
A 2019 Guardian article notes that Karl Albrecht only spoke publicly about Aldi’s business model on one occasion, in 1953.[7] The same article reports that Karl was more charismatic and less intense than his brother, making time daily for an afternoon nap and to read for 20 minutes.[7] A 2014 Independent obituary states that Karl Albrecht’s death was not announced until Monday, by which time he had already been buried.[3] A Der Spiegel obituary reports that Karl Albrecht formally withdrew from the top of the company in 1994.[5]
The same Spiegel article states that Karl was married to Mia and had two children, Karl junior and Beate Heister.[5] A 2014 Irish Times article reports that Karl Albrecht gave an interview shortly before his death, his first in 61 years.[9] The Irish Times also notes that Karl Albrecht left behind a fortune estimated at between €18 and €20 billion.[9]
References
- Wikipedia, "Karl Albrecht" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Hurun Report Global Rich List", Hurun Report (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Karl Albrecht" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The World's Billionaires (2012): No. 10 Karl Albrecht", Forbes, 3 March 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Paterson, "The story of Karl Albrecht, the man who destroyed Tesco", The Independent, 22 July 2014. facts only, no text reused. independent.co.uk
- Wikipedia, "Karl Albrecht" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Diekmann, Florian (21 July 2014). "Nachruf auf den Gründer von Aldi und Discount-erfinder". Der Spiegel (obituary) (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Diekmann, Florian (21 July 2014). "Nachruf auf den Gründer von Aldi und Discount-erfinder". Der Spiegel (obituary). facts only, no text reused. spiegel.de
- Wikipedia, "Karl Albrecht" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) – Frugal to a fault, discounter Aldi expands in the U.S." by Thomas Schuler, The Atlantic Times, March 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Rice, "The Aldi effect: how one discount supermarket transformed the way Britain shops", The Guardian, 5 March 2019. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
- Wikipedia, "Karl Albrecht" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rice, "The Aldi effect: how one discount supermarket transformed the way Britain shops", The Guardian, 5 March 2019 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Scally, "Billionaire Aldi brother kept it simple to the end", The Irish Times, 28 July 2014. facts only, no text reused. irishtimes.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Karl Albrecht (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Karl Albrecht (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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