Karl Albrecht Jr. Karl Albrecht Jr. Karl Albrecht Jr. (born 1948) is a German billionaire, and the son of Karl Albrecht, who founded the discount supermarket chain Aldi with his brother Theo. Albrecht worked for Aldi Süd in various roles until his resignation due to a cancer diagnosis (from which he subsequently recovered). He and his sister Beate Heister control the family trust, the Siepmann Stiftung (named for their mother), which, in turn, controls Aldi Süd, the source of their joint fortune. Together with Heister, he has a net worth of US$25 billion, as of December 2018. He is married to Gabriele Mertes,
Countdown (supermarket) Countdown (supermarket) Countdown is a New Zealand full-service supermarket chain and subsidiary of Woolworths NZ, itself a subsidiary of Australia's Woolworths Limited. Countdown stores are normally larger than the average New Zealand supermarket. The first Countdown store opened in 1981 and the chain has expanded to 180 stores . It is the largest single supermarket chain in New Zealand in terms of number of stores, although the rival Four Square chain has a larger number of premises including smaller retail stores in rural areas. In May 1981, the first Countdown market opened at Northlands Mall in Papanui, Christchurch. This business