Aldi is a German discount supermarket chain founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946. The company is headquartered in Essen, Germany, and operates over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. Aldi is the common brand of two German family-owned discount supermarket chains with over 10,000 stores in 20 countries, and an estimated combined turnover of more than €50 billion.
Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have been jointly owned by the brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht since 1960, when they split the company in two to prevent any disagreements about inheritance between their sons. Both operate independently, each with its own area of operations. In 1962, Aldi Nord acquired Trader Joe’s in the United States.
Aldi’s German operations consist of Aldi Nord’s 35 individual regional companies with about 2,500 stores in Germany, and Aldi Süd’s 32 regional companies with 1,600 stores in Germany. The joint venture between Aldi Nord and Trader Joe’s is called Aldi International GmbH & Co. oHG, based in Mülheim an der Ruhr.
Aldi sells a range of predominantly own-brand products, from food to non-food items. In Germany and Austria, Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have a common marketing strategy under which some products are marketed under the same brand (e.g.
“Clancy’s”) while others are sold under different brands (e. “Toscano” vs. “Rocca”).
The Clancy’s product range includes a wide variety of food items such as pasta sauce, chipotle salsa, pesto, hummus, and guacamole; as well as non-food items such as paper towels, laundry detergent, and dish soap. All of these products are produced by different manufacturers contracted by Aldi.
