The history of Aldi dates back to 1913 when Anna Albrecht opened a small grocery store in Essen, Germany. After World War II, her sons Karl and Theo Albrecht took over the family business, pioneered the discount retail model by stripping away non-essential costs, and expanded rapidly. In 1960, the brothers split the business into two distinct corporate groups—Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd—due to operational disagreements. Today, they operate over 13,600 discount supermarkets internationally, including major footprints across Europe, Australia, and the United States (where Aldi Süd operates core stores and Aldi Nord owns Trader Joe's).