ALDI - these four letters have had a major impact on the consumer behavior and food culture of Germans, both positively and negatively. The rise of the brothers Karl and Theo therefore also tells the story of a country. In the Essen suburb of Schonnebeck at Mittelstrasse 87, journeyman baker Karl Albrecht Sr. opened a small but fine store in 1913, selling not only bread but also coffee, tea, jam, butter and cookies. Supermarkets were still a distant dream of the future and every customer was served personally, people chatted and knew each other. But with the wars, the procurement of food became an ever greater challenge. When the sons Karl Jr. and Theo finally returned from the front, they made a virtue out of necessity: With low prices and an extremely narrow assortment that was limited to the essentials, they lured customers into the store during the years of shortages. In doing so, the Albrechts not only democratized food, they also created the discount concept.
Now you can borrow the book ALDI eine deutsche Geschichte from Onleihe, our digital library.
