Aldi is owned by an international group of investors, with the bulk of its holdings held by the Dutch company Heinrich Aldi S.A. In other words, it’s not a grocery store that’s owned by a bunch of people, but rather a holding company that owns a bunch of different grocery stores. The name Aldi actually comes from the first names of its founders, Karl and Theo Albrecht. The brothers opened their first store in 1961, and the name came from their last names. Today the company is owned by Heinrich Aldi S.A., a company based in The Netherlands. Heinrich Aldi S.A. is the parent company that controls all the stores throughout Germany. Below is a timeline of the history of that parent company, and how it ended up owning Aldi stores all over the world.
Who Owns Aldi?
Aldi is owned by Heinrich Aldi S.A., a company based in the Netherlands. Heinrich Aldi S.A. is the parent company that controls all the stores throughout Germany. Karl and Theo Albrecht founded Aldi in 1961. Today, Heinrich Aldi S.A. holds most of the shares in Aldi, with The Netherlands-based holding company owning around 95 percent of its shares.
Karl and Theo Albrecht
Karl and Theo Albrecht founded Aldi in 1961. Today, Heinrich Aldi S.A. holds most of the shares in Aldi, with The Netherlands-based holding company owning around 95 percent of its shares. Karl and Theo Albrecht started their grocery store, called “Aldi,” in 1961. Today, there are more than 2,000 Aldi stores in Germany, Poland, and Mexico. And Aldi has expanded to other parts of the world as well, opening stores in Canada, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.
1961: The First Aldi Store Opens
Karl and Theo Albrecht opened their first Aldi store in the German city of Essen in 1961. The brothers opened their store just two years after the country’s “Economic Miracle,” when the country’s GDP was quickly rising thanks to Chancellor Konrad Adenauer’s investment in the country’s infrastructure and industry. The first Aldi store was a tiny little thing, with less than half a million euros (US$53.6 million) in yearly revenue. Today, though, Aldi is one of the largest grocery store chains in the world with more than 2,300 stores in eleven countries.
1997: Aldi Buys Home Basics
Aldi bought another German grocery store chain in 1997, when it purchased the German grocery store chain Home Basics. Home Basics had more than 350 stores, and was known for its home products, like cleaning supplies and kitchen appliances. Today, Home Basics is known as Mövenpick, and is a luxury home products brand that has stores across Europe and in the Middle East.
2001: Aldi Acquires Australian Supermarket Chain Woolworths Holdings
Aldi also bought another grocery store chain in 2001, when it purchased the Australian supermarket chain Woolworths Holdings. Woolworths Holdings had more than 180 stores across Australia, including in some of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, like the Gold Coast and Sydney. Woolworths was purchased for around AU$2.7 billion (US$1.9 billion), and today, it’s known as The Home Improvement Company and has more than 1,000 stores around Australia.
2006: Aldi Acquires US Grocery Chain Albertsons
Aldi also acquired another grocery store chain in 2006, when it purchased the US grocery chain Albertsons. Albertsons had more than 1,400 stores in the United States. Albertsons was purchased for around US$2.9 billion, and today, it’s known as the Western Grocery Company and operates more than 2,000 grocery stores in the US.
2015: Heinrich Aldi S.A. Acquires Aldi Stores in Europe
Heinrich Aldi S.A. acquired more German grocery stores in 2015, when it purchased the German grocery store chains Aldi, Netto, and Kaufland. Heinrich Aldi S.A. acquired the German grocery store chain Aldi for around €8.5 billion (US$10.4 billion) in 2015. Aldi is still owned by Heinrich Aldi S.A., but it’s the parent company that controls all the stores throughout Germany. END OF 2015
2016: Heinrich Aldi S.A. Acquires US Grocery Chain LLC Harris
Heinrich Aldi S.A. also acquired another grocery store chain in 2016, when it purchased the US grocery store chain LLC Harris. LLC Harris had more than 360 stores in the US. Heinrich Aldi S.A. acquired the US grocery store chain for around US$1.4 billion in 2016. END OF 2016
2018: Heinrich Aldi S.A. Acquires German Grocery Chain Lidl
Heinrich Aldi S.A. acquired yet another grocery store chain in 2018, when it purchased the German grocery store chain Lidl. Heinrich Aldi S.A. acquired the German grocery store chain for around €6.9 billion (US$8.2 billion). END OF 2018
Bottom line
As you can see, Heinrich Aldi S.A. is a holding company that controls all the stores throughout Germany. It’s a company based in The Netherlands, and it’s owned by Heinrich Aldi S.A., a company based in Germany. Aldi is stocked by an international group of investors, with the bulk of its holdings held by the Dutch company Heinrich Aldi S.A. This is the general timeline of how Heinrich Aldi S.A. became the parent company of the Aldi stores all over the world. If you’re curious about how the stores are owned in other countries, check out our article on How Aldi Stores Are Owned Around the World.