Trader Joe's Trader Joe's Trader Joe's is an American chain of grocery stores based in Monrovia, California. By 2015, it was a competitor in "fresh format" grocery stores in the United States. As of October 12, 2017, Trader Joe's had 474 stores nationwide in 43 states and in Washington, D.C. The first Trader Joe's store was opened by founder Joe Coulombe in 1967 in Pasadena, California. Starting in 1979, it was owned by German entrepreneur Theo Albrecht, until his death in 2010, when ownership passed to his heirs. Trader Joe's is a subsidiary of German supermarket chain ALDI Nord. The company has
Karl Albrecht the latter's death. Golf was one of his hobbies, and Albrecht played the sport on his own golf course, the Öschberghof, which he built in 1976. He also raised orchids. In 2014, Albrecht was listed as one of the richest people in the world with an estimated net worth of . Previously, "Forbes" magazine listed him as one of the richest men in the world, with an estimated net worth in 2011 of , which ranked him 10th in its 2012 list of billionaires – making him the oldest billionaire in the Top 20 list. Albrecht was the richest person