Dieter Schwarz facts for kids

Dieter Schwarz was born on September 24, 1939. He is a German businessman who owns a large company called the Schwarz-Gruppe. He used to be the main boss, or CEO, of two very well-known supermarket chains: Lidl and Kaufland.

Building a Business Empire

Starting Lidl Discount Stores (1973)

In 1973, Dieter Schwarz opened his very first discount store in a German city called Ludwigshafen. He wanted to use the name "Lidl" for his store. However, he couldn't just use it freely. So, he bought the rights to the name from a retired teacher named Ludwig Lidl for 1,000 German Marks.

After Lidl grew across Germany, the company started opening stores in other parts of Europe in 1988. By 2022, Lidl had about 12,000 stores. These stores were spread across Europe and the United States. This made Lidl the biggest discount store chain in the world based on how many locations it had.

Launching Kaufland Supermarkets (1984)

Dieter Schwarz and his father opened their first supermarket in 1968. It was called Handelshof and was in a town called Backnang. Later, in 1984, the first store with the new name Kaufland opened in Neckarsulm. All the older Handelshof stores were then renamed to Kaufland.

After Germany became one country again in 1990, Kaufland grew very quickly in eastern Germany. The first Kaufland supermarket in East Germany opened in Meißen in 1990. Today, Kaufland is a very important supermarket chain in eastern Germany. The company also started to open stores in other countries in 1998. Its first international store was in Kladno, Czech Republic. After that, more stores opened across Central and Eastern Europe. As of 2020, Kaufland had more than 1,470 supermarkets in Europe.

Dieter Schwarz's Wealth

Dieter Schwarz is known for being one of the richest people in the world. In 2009, his wealth was estimated to be around 10 billion euros. By 2013, this amount grew to about 19.6 billion euros. This made him the 24th richest person globally at that time.

In 2023, the magazine Forbes said that Schwarz was the wealthiest man in Germany. They estimated his net worth to be about US$47.2 billion. This also made him the 25th richest person in the world. As of March 8, 2024, Forbes listed Dieter Schwarz as the 37th richest person in the world, with a net worth of $38 billion.

Since 1999, Dieter Schwarz has managed his money through a special organization. It is called the Dieter Schwarz Foundation. This foundation is a company that helps good causes. He put his shares in Lidl and Kaufland into this foundation. This means he decides how much of his company's profits go to help others. The Dieter Schwarz Foundation helps with education and places for children to learn and play. It also supports science and research projects.

His Private Life

Dieter Schwarz married Franziska Weipert in 1963. They live in a city called Heilbronn in Germany. They have two daughters named Regine and Monika.

Schwarz is very private about his life. There are almost no videos or recordings of him in the media. He also does not give interviews. It is said that only three photos of him are known to exist in the news or on the internet.

See also

In Spanish: Dieter Schwarz para niños