[5] Albrecht learned the grocery business from his mother, in order to escape the fate of his father in the mines.
He and his brother Karl developed Albrecht Diskont, one of Europe's largest chains of supermarkets, with the motto "The best quality at the lowest price," and now known by its acronym, Aldi.
[7] Theo and Karl Albrecht split the Aldi Company they founded in 1960 after a dispute about whether to sell cigarettes.
[citation needed] Albrecht's kidnapping in 1971 partially explained his and the family's decision to largely withdraw from public life.
[14] Albrecht and his brother Karl were once said to own an island located in the North Sea, where they indulged their hobbies such as golf and pastimes, including the collecting of antique typewriters.
[15] Theo had, as do members of the Albrecht family now, a highly secure estate overlooking the Ruhr valley.