Aldi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Aldi

Aldi Süd and Aldi Nord logos
Aldi in Sparta, Wisconsin, United States
Type	Private
Industry	Retail
Founded	10 July 1946; 78 years ago (1946-07-10) (split in two parts in 1960, renamed to Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd in 1962)
Founders	Karl and Theo Albrecht
Headquarters	Essen, Germany (Aldi Nord) Mülheim, Germany (Aldi Süd)
Number of locations	12,596 (2022)
Area served	United States Australia China Europe United Kingdom Ireland Visegrád Group (Hungary and Poland) France Iberia (Except For Andorra And Gibraltar) Italy Germany Switzerland Denmark Austria Netherlands Belgium Luxembourg Slovenia
Products	Groceries Consumer goods
Revenue	Aldi Nord: €27 billion (2022) Aldi Süd: €76 billion (2022)
Number of employees	Aldi Nord: 72,811 (2022) Aldi Süd: 201,361 (2022)
Subsidiaries	Trader Joe's (Aldi Nord) Hofer (Aldi Süd) Winn-Dixie (Aldi Süd) Harveys Supermarkets (Aldi Süd)

Aldi is a very well-known supermarket chain from Germany. It's famous for being a "discount" store, meaning it sells things at lower prices. Aldi is actually two separate companies: Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd. Together, they have over 12,000 stores in 18 different countries around the world!

The company was started by two brothers, Karl and Theo Albrecht, in 1946. They took over their mother's small shop in a German city called Essen. In 1960, the brothers decided to split the business into two. These two parts later became Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd. The name "Aldi" was created in 1962. It's a short way of saying "Albrecht Discount."

Even though they are separate, both Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd use the "Aldi" name. Aldi Nord mainly operates in northern Germany and countries like Belgium, France, and Poland. Aldi Süd covers southern Germany and countries like Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Aldi Nord also owns the popular grocery chain Trader Joe's in the US. Aldi Süd recently bought some Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets stores in the southern US.

How Aldi Started

Albrecht grocery store in Essen-Schonnebeck (1958)

Aldi's original store in Essen

The story of Aldi began in 1913. That's when Karl and Theo Albrecht's mother opened a small grocery store. It was in a town called Essen, in Germany. Karl was born in 1920 and Theo in 1922.

After World War II, in 1945, the brothers took over their mother's business. They quickly opened more stores nearby. By 1950, they owned 13 stores in the Ruhr Valley area of Germany.

The brothers had a smart idea to keep prices low. They would take off the biggest possible discount right away. Other stores at the time made customers collect stamps to get money back later. The Albrecht brothers also saved money by not advertising much. They also kept their stores small and only sold items that sold quickly. By 1960, they had 300 stores across Germany.

The Company Splits Up

In 1960, the Albrecht brothers decided to split their company. They had a disagreement about whether to sell cigarettes. Karl thought selling cigarettes would attract shoplifters. Theo didn't agree.

So, Theo took charge of Aldi Nord, and Karl led Aldi Süd. At that time, they had 300 stores together. In 1962, they officially named their stores "Aldi." This name means "Albrecht Discount." Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have been financially and legally separate since 1966.

The brothers stopped being CEOs in 1993. Control of the companies was then given to private family foundations. These foundations continue to manage the Aldi businesses today.

Growing Around the World

Aldi started to open stores in other countries in 1967. Aldi Süd bought a grocery chain called Hofer in Austria. Aldi Nord opened its first stores outside Germany in the Netherlands in 1973.

In 1976, Aldi Süd opened its first store in the United States. It was located in Iowa. A few years later, in 1979, Aldi Nord bought Trader Joe's. After Germany became reunited, Aldi grew very quickly.

In August 2023, Aldi Süd announced it would buy about 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets stores. These stores are located in the southern United States. This deal was completed in March 2024. Aldi Süd plans to open 800 new US stores by 2028. Some of these will be Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores changed into the Aldi style.

How Aldi Works

Aldi in Germany

In Germany, Aldi Nord has about 35 different regional companies. They operate around 2,500 stores. Aldi Süd has 24 companies with about 2,000 stores. The line that separates their territories in Germany is even called the "Aldi Equator."

A survey in 2002 showed that many Germans shop at Aldi. About 95% of blue-collar workers and 88% of white-collar workers shopped there. Aldi's main competitor in Germany is another discount supermarket called Lidl.

Aldi Around the World

Distribution of Aldi in Europe as of June 2018:     Aldi Nord      Aldi Süd

The Aldi group has over 12,000 stores worldwide. Aldi Nord runs stores in northern Germany and countries like Belgium, France, and Poland. Aldi Nord also owns the Trader Joe's chain in the US.

Aldi Süd is in charge of stores in southern Germany. It also operates in Australia, China, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In Austria and Slovenia, Aldi Süd stores are known as "Hofer."

Aldi launched in Great Britain on April 5, 1990. Its first store there was in Birmingham. By 2017, Aldi had over 600 stores in the UK. They were opening more than one new store every week! In September 2022, Aldi became Britain's 4th largest supermarket. By September 2023, Aldi opened its 1000th store in the UK.

Aldi entered the Irish market in 1999. In March 2022, its 150th store in Ireland opened.

ALDI Süd store in Macclesfield, UK

Aldi opened its first Australian store in Sydney in 2001. It has grown very quickly there. By August 2019, there were 540 Aldi stores in Australia. Aldi had about 11% of the grocery market share there.

Aldi Süd expanded into the United States in 1976. By February 2020, there were over 1,900 Aldi stores in 36 states. You can even order groceries online for delivery from most US Aldi stores.

Aldi Süd opened its first stores in Italy in March 2018. By October 2019, there were 66 stores in northern Italy. In mid-2019, Aldi Süd also opened two small, fancy stores in Shanghai, China. They plan to open 100 such stores there.

In December 2020, Aldi bought 545 supermarkets in France. This was part of Aldi's plan to catch up with Lidl in France.

Where Aldi Stores Are Located

How Aldi Stores Operate

Aldi Nord interior

The inside of an Aldi Süd store in Hungary

Aldi stores are known for being "no-frills." This means they focus on selling things cheaply without extra fancy stuff. They sell everyday items like food, drinks, and household goods. Most products at Aldi are their own special brands. They usually don't sell many other well-known brands.

Aldi sells its own brands with names like Grandessa, Happy Farms, and Simply Nature. Sometimes, they do sell famous brands like Haribo in Germany or Marmite in the UK. Unlike most shops, Aldi usually doesn't accept coupons from other companies.

Besides their regular items, Aldi has special offers each week. These can include things like electronics, tools, or toys. These special items are only available for one week and in limited amounts. Aldi was famous for selling computers that would sell out in just a few hours!

Aldi is the biggest seller of wine in Germany. Many stores in Australia and some in the US also sell alcohol, like beer and wine.

The outside of an Aldi Local, in Balham, London

In March 2019, Aldi Süd started opening smaller stores in the UK called Aldi Local. These stores have fewer products and focus more on fresh food. They don't have the famous "middle aisle" of weekly special offers.

Aldi stores usually don't play music. Some stores in Scotland play Christmas music in December. In 2021, Aldi UK opened its first store where you don't need a cashier to check out.

Paying at Aldi

For a long time, Aldi stores only accepted cash. But now, most Aldi stores accept debit cards. In many countries, like the US, UK, and Australia, they also accept major credit cards like MasterCard and Visa. In Ireland, they accept Apple Pay and Google Pay too.

In the United States, Aldi stores accept EBT payments for food assistance.

Advertising and Logos

Aldi advertises in different ways depending on the country. In the US, they use newspapers, TV, and online ads. In the UK and Ireland, they started TV ads in 2005. They even have popular Christmas ads with a character named Kevin the Carrot!

The two Aldi companies, Nord and Süd, have different logos. Aldi Nord's logo shows the whole letter 'A'. Aldi Süd's logo, updated in 2017, shows only half of an artistic 'A' and has a more rounded, 3D look.

Caring for the Planet

Aldi is working to be more environmentally friendly. In January 2024, the company announced plans to stop using plastic bags in its US stores. They also want to use natural cooling systems in their US stores by the end of 2035.

Aldi's Reputation

In the United Kingdom, Aldi has won "Supermarket of the Year" awards many times. In April 2015, Aldi became the UK's sixth-largest supermarket chain. By February 2017, it was the fifth largest.

Between 2012 and 2019, Aldi's UK operations became "carbon neutral." This means they balanced out their carbon emissions by investing in solar energy and other green projects.

In the United States, Aldi is known for paying its employees higher than the minimum wage. This is a bit unusual for supermarkets in America.

Other Aldi Businesses

Aldi also has other businesses. These include:

• Aldi Talk: This is a mobile phone network in Germany, the Netherlands, and Australia.
• Diskont: In Austria, Aldi's Hofer stores have partnered with a company called OMV. They created self-serve petrol stations called Diskont. These stations are often located near Aldi stores.
• Tevion and Maginon: These are brands for multimedia products like DVD players and digital cameras.
• Medion: This brand is used for computers, laptops, and tablets sold at Aldi.

Images for kids

• 

  New style of Aldi Süd in Simi Valley, CA, US

• 

  Old style of Aldi Süd in Bethlehem, PA, US

• 

  Aldi Nord in Ruda Śląska, southern Poland

• 

  Aldi in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, central Poland

• 

  Aldi store in Amadora, Portugal

• 

  Aldi store in Orange, New South Wales, Australia

• 

  An ALDI Süd store in Conder, Australia

• 

  Aldi UK market share from Kantar Worldpanel

• 

  Aldi Süd in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England

• 

  Variant of Aldi Süd Logo used internationally from 2006 until March 2017

See also

In Spanish: Aldi para niños