Karl Albrecht

[2] Karl and Theo Albrecht were born and raised in a Catholic[3] family in modest circumstances in Essen, Germany.

Their father, Karl Sr., worked as a miner and later as a baker's assistant,[4] while their mother Anna (née Siepmann) ran a small grocery store in the workers' quarter of Schonnebeck [de], a suburb of Essen.

[7] In 1994, Karl Albrecht removed himself from the daily operations of Aldi Süd and took the position of chairman of the board until 2002.

[citation needed] Karl Albrecht was a very reclusive man who had not taken part in public life for several years prior to his death.

[5] In 2014, Albrecht was listed as one of the richest people in the world with an estimated net worth of US$23.14 billion.