- Children of Karl Albrecht Sr. (d. 2014), who, along with brother Theo Albrecht (d. 2010), took over their family’s corner grocery store in Essen, Germany and built it into retail powerhouse Aldi (no-frills, low-price strategy similar to Wal-Mart)
- Ownership split in 1961: Karl Sr. obtained stores in southern Germany, plus the rights to the Aldi brand in the U.K., Australia and the U.S., while Theo Sr. took the stores in northern Germany and the rest of Europe
- Theo Sr. bought U.S. grocery chain Trader Joe’s in 1971
- Family foundation, the Siepmann Stiftung (formed in 1973 using the maiden name of Karl and Theo’s mother), is believed to own at last 75% of Aldi Sued, with the rest owned by charitable foundations that support cardiovascular research as well as cultural and other projects
- Beate Heister has never worked at Aldi Sued but sits, together with her husband Peter and her son Peter Max Heister (one of six children), on its advisory board
- Karl Jr., who has no children, has worked in different positions at the company but withdrew from professional duties to contend with diagnoses of cancer (which he has overcome)
- Beate’s husband and children, along with Karl Jr.’s wife, Gabriele Mertes, are all believed to have a share in the fortune
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