Man who helped build Aldi and Trader Joe’s dies

Published 5:00 am Thursday, July 29, 2010

Theo Albrecht, who with his brother Karl used lessons learned in the lean years of postwar Germany to build an international grocery empire, died Saturday in Essen, Germany. He was 88.

His death was announced by a representative of the company he owned, Aldi, which also owns Trader Joe’s.

Following World War II, Theo and Karl Albrecht took over their parents’ small grocery in the bombed-out city of Essen and, out of necessity, sold only a small number of essential items. When the economy began to boom, competitors expanded their inventories, but the brothers realized they could operate more efficiently by keeping stores fairly small.