These Are The Aldi Heirs And How Much They Are Really Worth
Aldi, the international grocery store chain, has become a common sight in towns and cities across the United States. At the time of writing, there are 2,304 Aldi stores open in the U.S. and 12,000 worldwide, and the number is only growing. The success the chain has found in the U.S. mirrors the brand's success elsewhere in the world, leading to higher sales and more profits. So who are the heirs that will benefit the most from these profits and the overall success of Aldi? And how much is each of them actually worth?
While Aldi stores are prolific, the Albrechts — the German family that owns the brand — are famously reclusive with few of them ever appearing in front of a microphone or camera. Yet disputes over inheritances have seen several of the Aldi heirs step into the spotlight, revealing who they are and their net worth.
Theo Albrecht (Co-founder of Aldi and founder of Aldi Nord)
Aldi was founded in 1946 by two brothers Theo and Karl Albrecht. After serving their country in World War II, the Albrecht brothers returned to their home city of Essen and started the Aldi empire from a shop that had been run by their parents. From these very first days, they followed the same low-price ethos that Aldi maintains today. Thanks to this approach, the brand grew rapidly until 1960 when the two brothers decided to split the business.
After the split, Theo Albrecht founded Aldi Nord which currently runs stores in nine European countries including Spain, France, and Poland. The early successes of Aldi Nord were overshadowed in 1971 when Albrecht was kidnapped and held hostage for 17 days. He was released after his family paid a large ransom.
The emotional impact of the kidnapping caused Albrecht, and the vast majority of his family, to draw back from society. His reclusiveness, however, did not impact the growth of Aldi Nord; in 1979 Albrecht led a takeover of American grocery store brand Trader Joe's thus establishing a foothold in America. By 2009, Aldi Nord boasted 5,200 grocery stores and $32.4 billion in sales. Albrecht passed away the following year. He was worth approximately $16.7 billion at the time of his death.
Karl Albrecht (Co-founder of Aldi and founder of Aldi Süd)
Karl Albrecht, Aldi's other co-founder, founded Aldi Süd after the 1960 split. His company focused on countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia. Aldi Süd entered the American market in 1976. This first foray into the market did not work out for Aldi; the store closed one year later, although this did little to dampen Albrecht's enthusiasm.
Albrecht did not only oversee Aldi's expansion into the United States but also Britain. Despite early difficulties, both ventures eventually succeeded because of Albrecht's long-term game plan which, free from the pressures of external shareholders, prioritized sustainable growth. This was explained to The Guardian by retail expert Richard Hyman: "Aldi is very attuned to going into a country, making the investment, and building slowly and steadily. Most other companies don't have a 30-year view – or even a five-year view."
Albrecht's approach paid huge dividends. In 2009, Aldi Süd had 1,000 fewer stores than Aldi Nord, yet it had €3 billion more in sales. Because of this, Albrecht was the wealthier of the two Aldi founders. At the time of his death in 2014, Albrecht was worth a staggering $25 billion.
Theo Albrecht Jr. (Part owner of Aldi Nord)
Theo Albrecht, the co-founder of Aldi, had two children, Theo Jr. and Berthold. These siblings inherited part of Aldi Nord. In order to avoid a takeover, Albrecht separated the ownership of Aldi Nord into three separate foundations: Markus, Lukas, and Jakobus. Upon his father's death, Albrecht Jr. inherited Lukas, which owns 19.5% of Aldi Nord. His brother Berthold inherited Jakobus, which also holds 19.5%.
While only making up less than ⅕ of Aldi Nord, these foundations are worth an incredible sum of money. Each brother's net worth has been valued above $17 billion; the current estimate for Albrecht Jr.'s worth stands at $17.5 billion. Although impressive, this amount could increase dramatically.
Albrecht Jr.'s brother Berthold died in 2012. In 2018, his mother Cäcilie, who held 61% of Aldi Nord through her ownership of the Markus Foundation, also passed away. In her will, Cäcilie stated that Berthold's widow Babette and their children would not inherit anything from her. This suggests that Albrecht Jr. could be in line to add his mother's enormous fortune to his own.
Berthold Albrecht (Part owner of Aldi Nord)
As the son of Theo Albrecht, Berthold Albrecht also inherited a significant fortune, including ownership of the Jakobus Foundation, which controls 19.5% of Aldi Nord. Like the heirs of many business fortunes, Albrecht grew up in the business and spent a great deal of his life working for its improvement. This included significant contributions to Aldi Nord's running of the Trader Joe's brand in the United States.
Albrecht died in 2012. Although no cause of death was given at the time, Albrecht's wife Babette later claimed it was the result of lifelong alcoholism. At the time of his death, Albrecht was thought to be worth $17.8 billion.
The Albrechts became headline news when Berthold Albrecht's mother Cäcilie excluded Babette and their children from her will. As reported by The Guardian, a passage of Cäcilie's will stated: "Berthold himself said when he was alive that he had considerable doubts as to the suitability of his children to respect the life's work of my husband who, with my support, built the consortium Aldi Nord, and to serve it with respect and with responsibility towards its thousands of employees." Babette and her children disputed the will. A 2023 press release stated that the inheritance issue had been resolved through a restructuring of the company. Exact details were not released.
Karl Albrecht Jr. (Part owner of Aldi Süd)
Karl Albrecht, the founder of Aldi Süd, had two children, a son called Karl Albrecht Jr. and a daughter named Beate Heister. While the heirs of Aldi Nord have been embroiled in unsavory legal disputes, these two have maintained a low profile.
Similarly to Theo Albrecht, Karl left Aldi Süd's shares to foundations, Siepmann-Stiftung and Carolus-Stiftung. It is thought that both foundations own 50% of Aldi Süd. Although it is not explicitly stated, it can be assumed that, given both Karl Jr.'s and Beate's equal net worth's of $16.8 billion, each sibling controls one foundation.
As Aldi is a private business, the Albrechts do not have to disclose any information about its operation. This, when coupled with the family's reclusiveness, makes it very difficult to ascertain the business movements of people like Albrecht Jr. What we do know is that Albrecht Jr. has taken a backseat from business after being diagnosed with cancer. He is married to Gabriele Mertes and the couple have no children.
Beate Heister (Part owner of Aldi Süd)
Beate Heister is Karl Albrecht's only daughter. Like her brother Karl Jr. she boasts a net worth of $16.8 billion. This fortune comes from Siepmann-Stiftlung which owns 50% of Aldi Süd. While Heister inherited this huge stake in the grocery store brand from Karl Albrecht, she has never actually worked for Aldi Süd.
Although she is a member of Siepmann-Stiftlng's Executive Board, Heister does not run it. That duty falls to one of her children, Peter Max Heister. He succeeded his father — also called Peter Heister — who reached the role's age limit of 70 in 2017. Beate Heister has five further children. Only the name of one other, Christian who also serves on the Siepmann-Stiftlung board, is known.
As with the rest of her family, Heister has been media-shy her entire life. Thankfully, her side of the family has not had their privacy ruined by disputes in court. Heister, and the rest of her family, will be hoping that this remains the case.