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
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