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- A dynasty of supermarkets valued at nearly $ 40 billion is in the running after the founder's wife has decided to cut her grandchildren and their mother from the company by will, accusing them of spending huge sums of money .
- Cäcilie Albrecht has accused five of his late son's children and widow of having embezzled money from the company's funds to finance luxurious lifestyles. They deny these claims.
- Albrecht wrote in his will about the importance of "putting aside his personal interests and practicing a modest and sober way of life."
- The late husband of Albrecht, Theo, and his brother Karl have turned their mother's corner grocery store in Germany into a billion-dollar international supermarket chain, but have remained remarkably quiet and frugal.
- The Albrecht family is behind Aldi and the American discounter Trader Joe's.
The European supermarket dynasty behind Aldi and Trader Joe's is in conflict with the wife of one of the founders who decided to remove from his will his grandchildren and his daughter-in-law, because of their lavish expenses, which included old cars and art.
Cäcilie Albrecht – the wife of Theo Albrecht, who co-founded the German supermarket giant Aldi with his brother Karl – accused the five children of his son, Berthold, and his widow, Babette, of extravagant spending, inconsistent with those of the family frugal philosophy.
In her will, she accused Babette and her children of embezzling 100 million euros (112 million) from one of the company's foundations to finance luxury spending, the newspaper reported. British Guardian.
She accused them of blocking the decision-making process of the company and said that they should not play any role in the future of the company. Because of the secret nature of Aldi's operational structure, it is unclear whether his wish will be implemented and whether family members are prevented from participating in society.
The family members named in Cäcilie will deny the claims and any wrongdoing.
Andreas Urban, Babette Albrecht's lawyer and his children, said in a statement: "Piety and decency dictate that this should not be publicly evaluated".
Read more: Get to know the Albrechts, the very secret heirs of Aldi's fortune, worth $ 38.8 billion, owned by Trader Joe's and keeping a famous low profile for decades
Cäcilie Albrecht died in November 2018 at the age of 92, after helping Theo and her brother Karl transform their mother's small grocery store in Essen, Germany, into an international supermarket chain that brought the value net family income of about $ 38.8 billion in 2018, according to Bloomberg. Her husband Theo died in 2010.
The family is notoriously secretive and almost nothing is known about Theo and Karl because they have never given interviews or made public statements about their fortune or business.
In his will, published by the German newspaper BILD, Albrecht referred to the family's typically frugal philosophy: "With this document, I am committed to preserving our family's philosophy of serving the Aldi Nord consortium. and while putting aside personal interests and practicing a modest and sober way of life. "
She said her son, Berholdt, Babette's husband, was "concerned" about his children's understanding of the family's hard work, according to The Guardian.
Read more: 13 things you did not know about Aldi, the German grocery chain coming straight to Walmart and Kroger
"Berthold himself declared during his lifetime that he had considerable doubts as to the fitness of his children to respect the work of my husband's life who, with my support, built the Aldi Nord consortium, and to serve it with respect and responsibility towards its thousands of employees, "she said.
Some family members had shunned Babette for her purchase of art and vintage cars, as well as for her well-connected lifestyle, which included the appearance of a reality TV contest titled "Let's Dance," according to The Guardian.
Aldi, shortcut for Albrecht Discount, was split in two in 1960 to create Aldi Süd and Aldi Nord. The split took place after a disagreement between Karl and Theo Albrecht on the question of whether to sell cigarettes.
Aldi Süd is now present in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, China and Australia, while Aldi Nord is present in Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, in Poland, Portugal and Spain.
The Albrecht family also owns Trader Joe's, the American discount grocer with nearly 500 stores and an annual turnover of $ 13 billion.
Cäcilie Albrecht served on the Board of Trustees of the Markus Foundation, which holds 61% of the shares of Aldi Nord, until his death, The Guardian reported.
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