Theo Albrecht the United States. Aldi and Trader Joe's, while owned by the brothers, have separate and distinct ownership and operations. Theo Albrecht and his brother Karl revolutionized the German grocery market with a low-cost business model. They had developed the supermarket as an outgrowth of their mother's small grocery store, which she had opened in 1913, in Essen, after Theo’s father had developed emphysema as a miner. Theodor learned the grocery business from his mother, in order to escape the fate of his father in the mines. He and his brother Karl developed Albrecht Diskont, one of Europe’s largest chains of
Grand Union (supermarket) were not disclosed. On May 28, 2013 grand reopening ceremonies were held for 9 stores which had been re-bannered under the Tops Friendly Markets name. The remaining 12 stores held grand reopening ceremonies on July 2, 2013 under the Tops Friendly Markets banner, effectively bringing an end to the Grand Union supermarket chain. Grand Union (supermarket) Grand Union Supermarkets, later known as Grand Union Family Markets and often referred to simply as Grand Union, was an American chain of grocery stores that did business primarily in the northeastern United States. It operated stores in other areas of the country including