According to The Guardian, he was held for 17 days — locked in a wardrobe in a house in Duesseldorf — until the kidnappers were paid a ransom of 7 million deutschmarks. And The National says they spent a good amount of their time — especially post-retirement from Aldi — living on a remote island in the North Sea. Am Tag nach der Beerdigung verliest der Familienanwalt das Testament, das die Witwe und die fünf Kinder sichtlich … The Albrechts were always private, and after Theo's kidnapping they became even more reclusive. Theo Albrecht was eigenaar van Aldi-Nord en Trader Joe's.. Leven. Cäcilie died aged 92 in November 2018 and used her will to accuse her daughter-in-law and children of lavish spending and siphoning millions from company funds to finance their luxury lifestyles. The brothers were, of course, as secretive about this part of their lives as they were about everything else, and it's only fairly recently that word of their charitable giving has leaked. Karl's interview with the German-language newspaper Franffurter Allgemeine, given not long before his death, shed valuable light on the brothers that created one of the world's biggest grocery empires — and they couldn't have been more different. Berthold Albrecht was the son of Aldi's co-founder. Sie kontrollieren jeweils 19,5 Prozent des Aldi-Nord-Kapitals. It was a small shop of only about 1,000 square feet, located on the ground floor of a four-story brick rowhouse (via Spiegel Online). Hoewel Theo en Karl Albrecht opgroeiden onder het juk van het … For all the brothers' frugality, there were some luxuries they indulged in — but even those had a practical side. The German discount grocer, Aldi, was created after World War II by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht and has quickly grown into one of the largest grocery chains in the world with brick-and-mortars in … They had little money themselves, and The Guardian says that when they were able to re-open their family store, they could only afford to offer basic, staple items like noodles, pasta, and soap. Theo’s Aldi Nord is the company at the centre of the family row which began with the death of Berthold Albrecht, son of founder Theo, at just 58 in 2012. The discounted ransom was paid by the Bishop of Essen and Theo was released after more than two weeks. Few photos of them exist and few interviews were given, making the information we can piece together about their lives that much more fascinating. Following Theo's ordeal, both he and brother Karl largely withdrew from public life and lived reclusive lives until their deaths in 2010 and 2014. Few photos exist of the family - and those that do are mostly old, black and white or blurry. We love Aldi for its special buy sales, which bring us affordable housework minions and very important furniture for our dogs. Aldi – short for Albrecht Diskont – split into two separate companies in 1960, now known as Aldi Nord and Süd. The original Aldi looked very different than today's stores. Life in post-war Germany was difficult, and shaped the way the brothers did business. He believed the move would attract and encourage shoplifting, and it proved to be a dealbreaker. And the divide has extended beyond just Germany: Aldi Nord operates in much of Europe, while Aldi Süd Ireland and the UK, China and Australia. Karl, too, was intensely private, living in a home completely hidden behind a terrace wall. Bei Geld hört nicht nur die Freundschaft auf: Im Familien-Streit der Aldi-Erben geht es um Millionen. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946 when they took over their mother's store in Essen.The business was split into two separate groups in 1960, that later became Aldi … In 1960 the brothers split the company in two – reportedly over an argument about whether to sell cigarettes or not – and agreed not to encroach on each other’s turf. Theo haggled with his captors over the amount, according to a 1973 biography by Ollenburg. According to The Irish Times, Karl Albrecht had this to say about money: "Wealth means little to me, unlike the freedom and independence that wealth brings with it." Einzelpersonen Datenblatt Die Einzelpersonenbeschreibung war das erste Dokument welches ich mir für die Ahnenforschung erstellt habe. Breaking from this has had tough consequences for the widow and children of Theo's son, who are disputing the will of Theo's wife, Cäcilie Albrecht. The discount supermarket chain operates stores throughout Europe, the United States, China and Australia. Aldi (stylized as ALDI) is the common brand of two German family-owned discount supermarket chains with over 10,000 stores in 20 countries and an estimated combined turnover of more than €50 billion. Theo Albrecht Jr. and the heirs of his brother, Berthold, inherited one of the world's great retail fortunes. Those early stores, says Franffurter Allgemeine, were about the size of a dorm room, and each one maintained the same bare-bones look they're still known for today. It's looking like tensions between the Aldi and Trader Joe's heirs are getting more heated as time progresses. Theo Albrecht junior äußert sich jetzt zum ersten Mal öffentlich! And there was never a doubt they'd get into the grocery store business. For a long time, people would come into the store, tell the clerk what they wanted, and have their order filled. Die Familie von Theo Albrecht junior regiert die Lukas-Stiftung, die Berthold-Seite die Jakobus-Stiftung. According to Spiegel, Theo was a regular supporter of the Institute for Economics and Society, and donated 25,000 marks (and later, the exact equivalent amount in Euros) every year since the organization's inception in the 1970s. Their neighborhood, Schonnebeck, is one that Spiegel Online described as a working-class area, run-down and populated by people who were less than well-to-do. Theo was in favor of adding them to Aldi's shelves, but Karl was 100 percent against it. After only a few months he suffered a wound that nearly required the amputation of his leg, then later survived capture and a weeks-long march across the Eastern Front; many of his fellow soldiers, says Franffurter Allgemeine, were either shot or sent back to the front. ", He loved architecture, and designed the layout of some of the Aldi stores himself. In 1997, the brothers bought plots in a municipal Essen cemetery. Eventually, Aldi trucks turned up with landscaping equipment, trees, and flowers. Auf der anderen Seite kämpfen die Erben von Theos Bruder Berthold, der im Jahr 2012 verstorben ist. Learn more. They drew a line right through their hometown of Essen, and made that the "Aldi equator". While the division led to stores that carried different products, had different logos, and were identified by different colors, they stayed on good terms. The Albrecht family is the billionaire clan behind Aldi and Trader Joe's. Both brothers were drafted into that same war machine, and both spent much of the war in Allied prisoner-of-war camps. Until, that is, he gave up the trade to get involved in running a storefront, a business his wife took over when he was drafted in 1914. They had been waiting for the plants  to go on sale at their store. At the time, they had around Aldi 300 stores. Aldi was the brainchild of two brothers: Theo and Karl Albrecht. Zwei Streitigkeiten erschüttern die Familie des verstorbenen Aldi-Nord-Erben Berthold Albrecht. Karl, for instance, was such an avid golfer that he decided the best thing to do was to just build his own golf course and hotel. Karl Hans Albrecht was born on February 20, 1920. Der Beschluss von Ende Januar hatte es in sich. Ihr Vater Karl Albrecht senior (1886–1943) war gelernter Bäcker und machte sich 1913 als Brothändler mit einem Laden in der Huestraße 87 in Essen-Schonnebeck selbständig. Theo harbored a constant suspicion about his workers, and he was known for not only being the first one in the office and the last one to leave, but for being involved with even the smallest details of running his business. Aldi co-founder Theo had been sent to fight under Rommel in the Afrika Korps, and sources vary on whether he was captured in Italy or Tunisia. he died aged 58 but his family waited for weeks to announce his passing. In fact, to this day, the families of the Albrecht brothers try to avoid publicity and showing off their wealth. Aldi changed in 1961, and it changed because of the same reason many families change: a dispute between brothers. They had no media presence, and Karl only made a single public statement regarding their company — and that was in 1953. They were also said to be behind grand projects like new extensions and additions on Bredeney's Goetheschule, and were a major donor to Ruhr's bid for the European Capital of Culture. Firmengründer Theo Albrecht senior baute das Aldi-Imperium kurz nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg gemeinsam mit seinem Bruder Karl aus einem kleinen Tante-Emma-Laden heraus auf. According to The Guardian, the plots stood unattended and overgrown for so long that the cemetery complained to them that something needed to be done. Auf der einen Seite steht das Lager von Theo Albrecht, dem Sohn des Firmengründers, der die Geschicke von Aldi Nord führt. They loved to play golf, they grew orchids, and they collected typewriters. It was important, he said; "I needed this time, this distance, even this peace. According to The Guardian, Theo not only refused to allow his photograph to be taken, but he travelled to and from his office in an armored car, insisting on taking a different route each day. The Albrecht brothers picked up on the American tradition of self-service, and that allowed them to cut costs even more. They spent eight and a half years in prison and even after they got out, there was a long-running mystery about what happened to the ransom money. Big or small, Aldi's fortunes have stretched a long way — thanks to two brothers who started their empire with a small, wooden wagon. Theo passed away in 2010, and The Guardian reported that the 88-year-old entrepreneur had been suffering from a prolonged illness following a bad fall he'd taken at his home. Between the brother's home town of Essen is what's known as the "Aldi equator", separating the brothers territory. He was held at gunpoint by Heinz-Joachim Ollenburg, a lawyer, and his accomplice Paul Kron - then already a convicted burglar nicknamed Diamond Paul. The Untold Truth Of The Brothers Who Started Aldi. Kron was quickly caught after Theo's release after he paid in a shop with a 500-deutschmark bill from the ransom money. In fact, to this day, the families of the Albrecht brothers try to avoid publicity and showing off their wealth. Der Aldi-Nord-Clan wird im Jahr 2012 von einem unerwarteten Todesfall erschüttert. There are more than 11,000 Aldi stores worldwide and Karl and Theo were the two of the richest men in the world before their deaths - though they certainly didn't flash their cash. The ordeal had a long-lasting impact on the already-private brothers, who largely retreated from public view following the incident. De familie van Theo Albrecht (Aldi Nord) is sinds 1979 eveneens eigenaar van de discountketen Trader Joe's in de Verenigde Staten, met een 500-tal vestigingen (status 2019). There were a number of honors that various organizations had attempted to give the Aldi brothers, says The Local, and they were always turned down. Biografie Familie und Ausbildung (1920–1936) Karl Albrecht und sein jüngerer Bruder Theo (1922–2010) wuchsen im damaligen Essener Arbeiterviertel Schonnebeck auf. He took his ransom money as a tax deduction? Karl was the driving force behind the cultural charity the Elisen Foundation, says The Washington Post, and donated generously to various types of medical research through his Oertel trust — particularly to cancer research. His obituary credited him as being the brother that was responsible for Aldi's reputation of tight cost control, no marketing, and no money spent on store decorations. According to CNBC, their low-cost, no-frills approach earned them something of a cult following (kind of like what they have today), and they were so popular that they opened four more Aldi stores by 1948. Both were sentenced to eight and a half years in prison and kept low profiles following their release. Shop low prices on award-winning products at ALDI. If you're not already a Mamamia member, sign up (it's easy, we promise). I was worried that I would lose track. At the time of his death, he hadn't been retired long at all — he only stepped down as the CEO of Aldi South in 1994, and gave up a position as chairman of the company in 2002. Berthold Albrecht, der 58-jährige Sohn des Gründers, stirbt angeblich an seiner Alkoholkrankheit. Seine Frau Anna Albrecht … According to The Independent, Theo was notorious for using pencils right down to the nubs, and both brothers were known for insisting the lights be turned off if they didn't deem them absolutely necessary — they didn't want to waste electricity. Today, most of the brother's children and grandchildren continue with the family's frugal philosophy. He established the discount supermarket chain Aldi with his brother Karl Albrecht.In 2010, Theo was ranked by Forbes as the 31st richest person in the world, with a net worth of $16.7 billion. That way, he wasn't paying club or greens fees. Chain stores were luring customers away with low prices, and they knew that if they wanted to advance in the world — and they did — they were going to have to win those customers back. … He later successfully claimed the ransom as a tax deductible business expense. There are more than 11,000 Aldi stores worldwide and Karl and Theo were the two of the richest men in the world before their deaths - though they certainly didn't flash their cash. Just a few decades after they opened, Aldi had grown from a discount store on a German streetcorner to be one of the largest supermarket chains in the world. Most of her ancestors were from the formerly sovereign countries, the Electorate and Kingdom of Hanover, and the city-state of Bremen, both in modern … Lees ook: Dit is de familie Albrecht, de geheimzinnige erfgenamen van het Aldi-imperium die samen €34 miljard waard zijn Het is een bittere strijd die al jaren wordt gevoerd bij Aldi Nord. HIs brother Karl was drafted into the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of the Third Reich, and was sent to the Russian front. It was so clear, so simple, anyone could have done it.". The kidnappers were eventually caught; the man nicknamed Diamond Paul was arrested after he was caught spending marked bills from the ransom money, and his partner (and lawyer) Heinz Joachim Ollenburg attempted to flee to Mexico, but was returned to Germany. Aldi is a recognisable brand in countries all around the world. When Essen wanted to honor their famous family by naming a street after them and giving their original location a historical designation, they fought it. Entdecken Sie Ihre Vorfahren und erstellen Sie Schritt für Schritt Ihren Stammbaum, dank der Milliarden von Informationen, die in den Stammbäumen unserer Benutzer und den Zivilstandsarchiven enthalten sind. It's not just to keep up an appearance: The family made a decision to never seek the limelight after Theo was kidnapped in 1971 and held for ransom for 17 days inside a wardrobe in Düsseldorf. There were rumors that Ollenburg took the majority of it, other tales that it had been stashed in a Swiss bank, and it was a mystery that wasn't solved before both died in 2017. But when we’re browsing the wine aisle for that $6.99 award-winning shiraz, take a moment to reflect on the supermarket’s utterly fascinating back-story that includes a brazen 1971 kidnapping labelled one of the most spectacular crimes of post-war Germany. He says that his grandfather wasn't a miner, but a baker's apprentice. I guess that’s what you’d call turning lemons into lemonade. Only half of the money was recovered. They started cutting costs and waste right from the beginning, and that included cutting out what had been a common sight in grocery stores until then: the counter clerk. Sein Sohn kämpft gegen seine Schwestern. The New York Times says more than 200 bombing missions were run over Essen, and somehow, the Albrecht's little grocery store was spared. Why did it take so long? Not only did he survive tuberculosis and a brush with death at age 5, he also credited his mother for getting them into the business at a young age and showing them what it took to run a successful store. Theo ran the Aldi Nord stores in Germany's north, and Karl the Aldi Süd stores in the south. The Albrecht brothers had something else in common: they dedicated a huge portion of their fortune to charity... quietly. A bishop from their hometown acted as an intermediary, and Karl paid half the ransom — the largest ever paid at the time, amounting to nearly $2 million. The low-cost, high-quality grocer with minimal selection and a strange section of ever-changing wonders was the brainchild of two brothers: Theo and Karl Albrecht. This is a practice that Aldi still uses today by having customers bag their own groceries. According to Spiegel, he had no use for showmanship and social gatherings; when one of his managers threw him a party for his 90th birthday, his speech was, in its entirety, this: "I did not want you all to come, I'm hungry and I'll go home soon.". Karl said, "I would have done something else, but I recognized as a child that you can grow up as a grocer even in times of crisis. The kidnapping was strange: confused by Theo's ill-fitting suit, they insisted on seeing his ID before they took him captive. Sister company Aldi Nord (which is found in France, Poland, the Netherlands, and in the US as Trader Joe's, among other countries), has an impressive 4,690 locations, around 60,000 employees, and around $14.5 billion in annual revenue — though those numbers don't reflect Trader Joe's locations). According to The Guardian, it all came down to whether or not they were going to sell cigarettes. View our weekly specials, find recipes, and shop quality brands in store or online. Um die Macht in der Jakobus-Stiftung tobt seit Jahren ein erbitterter Kampf innerhalb der Familie Albrecht. Theo took over the stores in the north and Karl took the south, splitting the stores in an impressively amicable way. They demanded a ransom of seven million German marks (approximately US$2 million at the time), but would've demanded more if it wasn't for their hostage's trademark frugality. He had stepped down from an official position at Aldi in 1993, but like his brother, he stayed active in the business and kept a watchful eye on how things were going. These super-secretive billionaires started from the most humble of humble beginnings, and piecing together the scant details of their lives is difficult. Karl Albrecht Born Karl Hans Albrecht 20 February 1920 Essen, Rhine Province, Weimar Republic Died16 July 2014 Essen, Germany OccupationEntrepreneur Known forCo-founder of Aldi SpouseMia Tenbrink ChildrenKarl Albrecht Jr. Beate Heister RelativesTheo Albrecht Theo Albrecht Jr. Berthold Albrecht Karl Hans Albrecht was a German entrepreneur who founded the discount supermarket chain Aldi … Aldi empire threatened by Albrecht family’s legal feud Berthold Albrecht’s widow and children take legal action in bid for control of Aldi Nord Sun, Nov 20, 2016, 16:33. In einer für den Aldi-Clan ungewöhnlich persönlichen Traueranzeige verabschiedet sich die Familie öffentlich von Berthold Albrecht. Almost accidentally, they had stumbled on a brilliant business model: offer the basics at a cheap price point, and people will come. Der Quandt-Clan ist die reichste Familie in Deutschland. The discount supermarket brand was founded by German brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946 when they took over their mother’s small grocery shop in Essen. Younger brother Theodor Paul Albrecht followed on March 28, 1922, and the two brothers from Essen, Germany would go from incredibly humble beginnings to the head of Aldi, a multi-billion-dollar empire. There are a ton of stories attesting to the fact that the Albrecht brothers practiced the same frugality in their personal lives that they established in their Aldi stores. Karl said in a rare interview, "I always believed in my ideas, and consistently implemented them. Theodor Paul Albrecht (German: [ˈalbʁɛçt]; 28 March 1922 – 24 July 2010) was a German entrepreneur. Laut „Süddeutscher Zeitung“ hat Nicolay Albrecht, Sohn von Aldi-Erbin Babette Albrecht, seine Schwestern angezeigt. Whenever travel necessitated staying in a hotel, he always made sure he had an escape route planned. The supermarket divided into two legally separate operating units - Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd. Zowel Aldi Nord als Aldi Sud zijn dus in de VS actief. The island, Fohr, is a quiet, picturesque place once regularly visited by Hans Christian Andersen, and the brothers owned a cottage there (much like the traditional-style Fohr home pictured). Take their management styles. He began running a small, corner store instead, but according to the third-generation Karl Albrecht, that's not true. The place or cause of his death is unknown. Damit wurde Familie Albrecht nach zehn Jahren erstmals von der Spitze verdrängt. When they got word of a woman in need of some financial help to allow her to stay in her home, they gave her the money on a monthly basis. Theo Albrecht took over Aldi Nord after a falling out with his brother Karl. In a rare interview with the German-language newspaper Franffurter Allgemeine, Karl (the Aldi co-founder) described himself as "lucky." Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen, née Albrecht (*1958) is a German politician and the President-elect of the European Commission (Wikipedia biography).. Please sign in to contribute to the Mamamia Community. As consequence, the Guardian reported she ordered that they have no future role in the company - ouch. When The Guardian published Theo's obituary, the list of hobbies and pastimes the brothers shared read much like anyone else's. Samen met zijn broer Karl Albrecht richtte hij de supermarktketen Aldi (Albrecht-Discount) op. In 1971, something shocking happened: Aldi co-founder Theo Albrecht became the victim of one of Germany's most high-profile kidnapping cases. In spite of being worth billions, they had no holiday homes, no private jets or yachts, (via The Local), no chauffeurs, wore suits off-the-rack, and Theo's car of choice was the relatively modest Mercedes E-Class (via Spiegel). The result was that he was only needed in the office in the morning, and would spend his afternoons at home with his family. These super-secretive billionaires started from humble beginnings. Two years after that, they had expanded to more than 300 Aldi locations. The widely accepted story is that the brothers' father, also named Karl, was a miner who was forced from his livelihood after contracting black lung. During World War II, Essen was a prime target for Allied bombing runs, mostly because it was the home of Krupp armaments, a major supplier of steel and weapons to the Nazi war machine (via DW). The last known picture of Theo taken with his consent was in 1971, and for decades afterwards, he guarded his privacy — and his family — very closely. Ollenburg fled to Mexico but was caught and arrested there and extradited back to Germany. His door was always open, but every Tuesday morning he would head out onto the golf course, alone and undisturbed. Five years after the brothers took over their little grocery store, they had already grown to have 31 branches. Theodor Paul Albrecht (Essen, 28 maart 1922 – aldaar, 24 juli 2010) was een Duitse ondernemer. But there were small projects, too. As of 2019, Aldi Sud (which is in countries like the US, Italy, the UK, Ireland, and Australia) has 6,322 locations, employs nearly 150,000 people, and boasted an annual revenue of $19.3 billion. ... Bekannt ist jedoch, dass der Streit der Familie Albrecht seit Jahren tobt. In laufe der Jahre hat sich das Dokument stark verändert, dies liegt daran, dass ich am Anfang damit nur die Grunddaten von Personen aufgenommen habe und heute in der Version 2 eine … When Karl spoke to Franffurter Allgemeine, he said it was the ever-growing presence of competition that made the business most difficult, and also made him realize just what he needed to do to compete. After they were released from the POW camps, the Aldi brothers returned to their hometown and the family store. When Karl passed away in 2014, he was 94 years old, the second-richest person in Germany, and the 35th-richest in the world, says The Washington Post. Das belegt eine Studie. When The New York Times reported on Karl's death in 2014, they also reported on how they had gotten their start in the grocery business: pulling a wooden wagon along the streets of Essen and selling buns. He was a regular at the Aldi nearest his home, and considered his regular trips to various Aldi stores "a lot of fun.". They even still partnered up to share information and even negotiate with suppliers, using their joint weight to get even better deals. Karl, on the other hand, made sure to hire people he trusted and to delegate. ", They were always on the front lines of the business, and at the time they were embarking on building their empire, it was as if Aldi was simply meant to be.