Aldi Portugal, Spain and Poland, while Aldi Süd operates in Ireland, Great Britain, Hungary, Switzerland, Australia, China, Italy, Austria and Slovenia. Both Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd also operate in the United States with 1,600 stores as of 2017. The earliest roots of the company trace back to 1913, when the mother of Karl and Theo Albrecht opened a small store in a suburb of Essen. Their father was employed as a miner and later as a baker's assistant. Karl Albrecht was born in 1920, Theo Albrecht in 1922. Theo Albrecht completed an apprenticeship in his mother's store, while Karl Albrecht
GB (supermarket) and Wallonia were sold to an independent franchise together with Champion supermarkets, which became re-branded, as "Carrefour Market-Groupe Mestdagh". As of May 2013, there are 58 GB supermarkets left in Belgium, 28 Champion stores in Wallonia, and 431 GB stores have already become Carrefour Market. GB Group had several different supermarket stores: GB (supermarket) GB ("Grand Bazar") was a Belgian supermarket chain, until 2000 owned by the GIB Group when it was taken over by the Carrefour Group. In 1958 the first Super GB is created and opened. In 1961 the first GB hypermarkets are created under the name of