The Schwarz Group (German: Schwarz Gruppe ) is a German multinational retailer that operates stores under the Lidl and Kaufland brands. It is the largest European retailer and the fourth-largest retailer in the world by revenue. The Schwarz Group's stores sell mostly private label brands, and the family-owned group also operates its own production facilities for baked goods, soft drinks and ice cream .
21-453: The business was founded in 1930 by Josef Schwarz (1903–1977), father of Dieter Schwarz . It is headquartered in Neckarsulm , Baden-Württemberg , Germany. The Schwarz Group is an international trading company with 500,000 employees and operates over 12,900 stores (in 2021) across 33 countries. It is made up of the two retail divisions, Lidl and Kaufland . In addition to the retail business,
42-622: A diverse range of sectors and are not in competition with each other. This is not the case of the Schwarz Group's main companies, Lidl and Kaufland, which are rival food retailers. Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG (Lidl stores in Europe and the US) and LD-Stiftung (Lidl stores in Germany) are two food retail companies which together operate around 12,000 Lidl retail outlets worldwide. Regional warehouse operations and
63-622: A diverse range of third-party businesses. In 2021 Prezero acquired the Suez Environment waste disposal and recycling operations in The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, and Poland. In 2021, Schwarz acquired Israeli cyber security company XM Cyber. In 2023, Schwarz established the Schwarz Digits division, offering cloud computing services, operating under the STACKIT brand. The cloud service
84-452: A result, little is known about them. The kidnapping caused him to drive to work in an armored car, using a different route every day. The Albrecht family members are known to be very reclusive and have been described by Forbes as 'more reclusive than the yeti'. Theo was rarely pictured by photographers, and he never made a public statement. The last published photo of Theo Albrecht dates from 1971, one day after his kidnapping. Another photo of
105-580: Is a German billionaire businessman, and owner of the Schwarz-Gruppe . He is the former chairman and CEO of the supermarket chain Lidl , and the hypermarket chain Kaufland . In 1973, Dieter Schwarz joined the "Lidl & Schwarz KG" business of his father Josef Schwarz and opened the company's first discount supermarket, inspired by Karl and Theo Albrecht . After his father died in 1977, he took control of
126-459: Is a global environmental service provider specializing in waste management and recycling, with a strong presence across Europe and the United States through its extensive network of 430 locations. While primarily serving the waste disposal needs of entities within the Schwarz Group, such as Lidl and Kaufland, Prezero also engages with external clients, offering tailored waste management solutions to
147-562: Is ranked #37 with a net worth of $ 38 Billion. In 1963, Schwarz married Franziska Weipert. They live in Heilbronn and have two daughters, Regine and Monika. He was strongly influenced by his membership in the Protestant free church community . Schwarz is known to be very protective of his privacy, to an extent that no media recordings of Schwarz exist, and he refuses any kind of interview. Meanwhile, just three photos of him are known to exist in
168-417: Is spread over five (former: four) groups of companies, which are not linked to each other under company law, but are sister companies: This structure often referred to as a conglomerate, is not a corporation under commercial law. As such, no consolidated balance sheet is produced. It has an intricate and complex investment structure. A conglomerate, as used colloquially, requires main companies which operate in
189-519: The Aldi Company they founded in 1960 after a dispute about whether to sell cigarettes. The supermarket divided into two legally separate operating units with two distinct geographical locations. Theo's Aldi Nord set to operate in the north of Germany, while Karl's Aldi Süd set to operate in Germany's south. Theo retired from daily operations in 1993 and remained as chairman of the board. In 1971, Albrecht
210-577: The Schwarz Group also owns brands in the beverage, baked goods, sweets and ice cream sectors. The Schwarz Group has been involved in the collection, sorting and recycling of recyclable materials for many years. With the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, the company supports education, primarily in Dieter Schwarz's hometown of Heilbronn . The company had a €125.3 billion turnover in the 2020/2021 fiscal year. The operational business of Schwarz Group
231-459: The discount chain. He became CEO and expanded the business outside of Germany. Soon afterwards, Schwarz bought the naming rights for Lidl from an unrelated person named Ludwig Lidl, a former schoolteacher, in order to side-step a legal battle with the co-owner A. Lidl. In 2009, he was estimated to be worth 10 billion euro. As of October 2012, he was estimated to be worth 12 billion euro, an increase from 11.5 billion euro in 2011. In 2013, he
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#1732837692996252-457: The five meat processing plants are operated as separate subsidiaries. Schwarz Produktion Stiftung & Co. KG is a food production company specialising in the manufacture of own-brand goods for the supermarket chains Lidl and Kaufland. They also produce a limited quantity of goods for third parties. Their operations include the reuse, recycling and production of new plastic bottles for the purpose of beverage filling. Prezero Stiftung & Co. KG
273-410: 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. Forbes has estimated Theo's fortune from the supermarket chain as approximately £11 billion. Theo and Karl Albrecht split
294-467: The press or in the image search of Google. Theo Albrecht Theodor Paul Albrecht ( German: [ˈalbʁɛçt] ; 28 March 1922 – 24 July 2010) was a German entrepreneur. He established the discount supermarket chain Aldi with his brother Karl Albrecht . In 2010, Theo was ranked by Forbes as the 31st richest person in the world, with a net worth of $ 16.7 billion. Albrecht learned
315-586: The ransom as a tax deductible business expense in court. Albrecht was raised in a Catholic household. In 1940, at the age of 18, Theo was conscripted into the German Army and served in the North African campaign . Theo was captured by Americans in Tunisia . In 1946 he returned to Germany . Albrecht's kidnapping in 1971 partially explained his and the family's decision to largely withdraw from public life. As
336-400: The sizeable real estate business are managed by regional and national branches of the companies respectively. Tailwind Shipping Lines, a container shipping provider, is a subsidiary of the business. Kaufland Stiftung & Co. KG is a food retailer with operating approximately 1,450 branches. The regional warehouses and real estate business fall under the regional and national companies while
357-509: The tax-exempt Dieter Schwarz Foundation ( gGmbH , limited liability company with a charitable purpose), when he transferred his shares in Lidl and Kaufland into it, deciding just how much of his profits go into the foundation. The Dieter Schwarz Foundation supports education and daycare facilities for children, for example, as well as science and research projects. As per Forbes list of The Richest People In The World, dated 8 March 2024, Dieter Schwarz
378-566: The two Albrecht brothers together was taken in 1987 by journalist Franz Ruch. 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. Theo had, as do members of the Albrecht family now, a highly secure estate overlooking the Ruhr valley . Obsessed with frugality, Theo
399-465: Was born out of internal needs of the retail business, but was opened up to external customers following sharp growth and a market demand for non-US cloud services. Schwarz also holds a minority stake in Aleph Alpha , a German AI startup. This German corporation or company article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Dieter Schwarz Dieter Schwarz (born 24 September 1939)
420-480: Was estimated be worth €19.6 billion, and ranked the 24th richest person in the world. As of February 2014, he was ranked as 23rd richest person in the world in the Hurun Report Global Rich List. In 2023, Forbes listed Schwarz as the wealthiest man in Germany and the 25th richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of US$ 47.2 billion. Since 1999, Schwarz manages his resources through
441-426: Was kidnapped. A ransom of seven million German marks (approximately US$ 2 million at the time) was paid for his release. He was held at gunpoint by Heinz-Joachim Ollenburg, a lawyer, and his accomplice Paul Kron. The ransom sum was delivered by Franz Hengsbach , then Bishop of Essen . His kidnappers were eventually caught by authorities, but only half of the money was recovered. Albrecht later unsuccessfully claimed
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