the first aldi opened in the us in 1976.
the first aldi opened in the us in 1976.
when did the first aldi open in the us?
1976
aldi started to expand internationally in 1967, when aldi süd acquired the grocery chain hofer in austria; aldi nord opened its first stores abroad in the netherlands in 1973, and other countries followed. in 1976, aldi opened its first store in the united states in iowa, and, in 1979, aldi nord acquired trader joe's. after german reunification and the fall of the iron curtain, aldi experienced a rapid expansion. the brothers retired as ceos in 1993; control of the companies was placed in the hands of private family foundations, the siepmann foundation (aldi süd) and the markus foundation (aldi nord, trader joe's).
aldi
karl and theo albrecht were born and raised in a catholic family in modest circumstances in essen, germany. their father, karl sr, was employed as a miner and later as a baker's assistant. their mother anna, née siepmann, had a small grocery store in the workers' quarter of , a suburb of essen. theo completed an apprenticeship in his mother's store, while karl worked in a delicatessen shop. karl served in the wehrmacht during world war ii and was wounded on the eastern front. after the war, the brothers jointly took over their mother's business and founded albrecht kg. they separated that company in 1961 into aldi nord, covering the part of germany north of the ruhr under theo albrecht, and aldi süd under karl. the first aldi (short for albrecht discount) was opened in 1962.
karl albrecht