If you’ve ever shopped at both Trader Joe’s and Aldi, you might notice some similarities between the two stores. Both offer a small selection of mostly private-label products, for example. And both have a no-frills approach to decor and customer service.
You might assume, then, that the two grocery chains are somehow related. Are they owned by the same company?
The answer is no. Trader Joe’s and Aldi are not owned by the same company. However, they do have some interesting history together. Aldi’s parent company is actually a German company called Albrecht Discounts.
And Albrecht Discounts used to own Trader Joe’s. In 1979, Albrecht sold off its US operations, including Trader Joe’s, to another German company called Theo Albrecht. But Theo Albrecht is actually the brother of one of the founders of Aldi. So while the two stores are not currently owned by the same company, they have close ties to one another.
So why do Trader Joe’s and Aldi seem so similar? It likely has to do with their shared history and roots in Germany.
Both stores follow the “hard discounter” model popular in Europe which emphasizes low prices and a small selection of mostly private-label items. This model was first popularized by Aldi in Germany and then later adopted by Trader Joe’s when it was founded.
While Trader Joe’s and Aldi are not currently owned by the same company, they do share a common history. Both stores were founded in Germany and follow the “hard discounter” model of low prices and a small selection of private-label items. However, each store does have its own unique quirks and offerings that set it apart from the other.
