In 1979, brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht took over their mother’s small grocery store in Essen, Germany, which she had started after World War II. They renamed it Aldi, short for Albrecht Diskont. The Albrechts turned Aldi into a discount supermarket chain, and by the 1990s, it had become one of the leading grocery chains in Germany. In the early 2000s, Aldi began expanding internationally, and it now has stores in more than 20 countries.
In 1979, brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht took over their mother’s small grocery store in Essen, Germany, which she had started after World War II. They renamed it Aldi, short for Albrecht Diskont. The Albrechts turned Aldi into a discount supermarket chain, and by the 1990s, it had become one of the leading grocery chains in Germany. In the early 2000s, Aldi began expanding internationally, and it now has stores in more than 20 countries.
Trader Joe’s is an American chain of grocery stores founded in 1958 by Joe Coulombe. It is a subsidiary of the German company Aldi Nord, and has more than 500 locations in 42 states. Trader Joe’s sells international foods as well as conventional grocery items such as produce, meat, dairy, baked goods, and snacks. It is a subsidiary of the German company Aldi Nord, and has more than 500 locations in 42 states.
Trader Joe’s sells international foods as well as conventional grocery items such as produce, meat, dairy, baked goods, and snacks.
Why did Aldi and Trader Joe’s split?
The two companies are still owned by the same parent company (Aldi Nord), but they operate independently with different management styles and strategies. While Aldi Nord owns both chains, they have always been run separately. In 1979, Karl Albrecht took over his mother’s small German grocery store and renamed it Aldi (short for Albrecht Diskont). He expanded the company rapidly throughout Europe and by the 1990s it had become one of Germany’s leading supermarket chains. In 2001 , Aldi entered the US market with its first store in Iowa.
Trader Joe’s was founded in 1958 by Joe Coulombe as a convenience store chain called Pronto Market. The company was sold to German conglomerate Aldi Nord in 1979 , but continues to operate independently under the same name . Unlike Aldi , Trader Joe’s has always been focused on the US market . It started as a convenience store chain but slowly transitioned to a specialty grocer that offers unique products from all over the world .
While both companies are owned by Aldi Nord , they have different Target markets , management styles , and strategies . For these reasons , it made sense for them to split up and operate independently .