RIP Karl Albrecht, thank you for ALDI!

Amazingfun

Karl Albrecht, who with his brother Theo returned from Allied prisoner-of-war camps after World War II to find their mother’s corner shop still standing in bombed-out Essen, Germany, then proceeded to build it into the international grocery empire Aldi, died on Wednesday in Essen. He was 94.

His death was confirmed by Aldi, which delayed the announcement until after his funeral.

The Aldi chain formerly managed by Mr. Albrecht (the name is short for Albrecht Discount) now has nearly 5,000 stores worldwide, including 1,300 in the United States, two of them in the New York City area, and all of them known for spartan décor and low prices. A separate organization formerly run by Theo Albrecht, which also uses the Aldi name, has 4,800 outlets in Europe.

“Our only consideration when we are working out a product’s price is how cheaply we can sell it,” Karl Albrecht once said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/22/business/karl-albrecht-a-reclusive-founder-of-aldi-dies-at-94.html?_r=1

Zed Bank

Legend.

biko

RIP Aldi man

kneemos

One of them was kidnapped,him
or his brother,million quid for his return I think.Explains their excellent returns policy.

Links234

Thanks for the best supermarket ever!

AlanS181824

What a legend of a man! Aldi is the best shop ever.

Arthur Beesley

Did they split because the disagreed over selling cigarettes?

Banjo String

kneemos wrote: »

One of them was kidnapped,him
or his brother,million quid for his return I think.Explains their excellent returns policy.

And he successfully negotiated the release with his kidnappers, paid the ransom and (iirc) successfully got it written off as a taxation business expense.

That's what you call a successful business man.

Davarus Walrus

Arthur Beesley wrote: »

Did they split because the disagreed over selling cigarettes?

That's the story given. One didn't want to sell cheap cigarettes at the tills, and so they divided the company into two, with one operating in Northern Germany and the other in the South.

I'm just glad they created a supermarket which now sells lovely Irish pale ale for €1.89 a bottle.

weisses

heard he was killed by franz Lidl ... Was only a matter of time


RIP

sadie06

The One Doctor

RIP, and thanks for saving me loads of cash.

Karl Stein

in his memory I will go to ALDI tomorrow and buy a power tool I will never use.

RIP.

Tail Docker

Al di best to his family. At 94, he was a great old age. I reckon Ingvar Kamprad splashed out on a good bottle of wine on hearing this, living a bit before he shuffles off.

Shady Tady

Thanks for the shed full of ****e that I didn't need! R.I.P

wendell borton

It seems to be a thing with German brothers to have rival companies. Puma and addidas were also founded by brothers.

kneemos

Karl Stein wrote: »

in his memory I will go to ALDI tomorrow and buy a power tool I will never use.

RIP.

Buy a boat and go join him.

EoghanIRL

RIP
Lidl + aldi > tesco , dunnes , super valu.

Elegant Elliot Offen

Sure dont we ... AL... DI in the end.

Davarus Walrus

Elegant Elliot Offen wrote: »

Sure dont we ... AL... DI in the end.

Lidl did I know that some punter would come out with a pun so terrible.

Elegant Elliot Offen

Davarus Walrus wrote: »

Lidl did I know that some punter would come out with a pun so terrible.

I see you got your sense of humor in a German discount shop too.

Buzz Killington the third

Davarus Walrus wrote: »

Lidl did I know that some punter would come out with a pun so terrible.

If this turns into a pun thread it'll be like a sparing contest!

Davarus Walrus

Elegant Elliot Offen wrote: »

I see you got your sense of humor in a German discount shop too.

While you rustled around in the Final Discount freezer of Iceland to find yours.