The ALDI Story
At ALDI, we exist to make a good life affordable. Hard work combined with bold and far-reaching business decisions – for more than a century, these principles have been key to ALDI’s success. And they still are today.
Looking at the history of ALDI, it is clear that putting customer needs first creates respect, loyalty, and lifelong relationships. We offer products and services affordable to all, with sustainability as a core focus in our ongoing development. This is the incredible story of a small grocery store in Germany that has grown into a globally operating retail discounter.
At the ALDI SÜD Group, our Purpose is to make a good life affordable. This means offering our customers great quality products at low prices, while maximising our positive impact on people and the planet. Together with our suppliers and partners, we are working to change how food is produced so we can all continue to enjoy the products we love today, and tomorrow.
Our new Sustainability Strategy Force for Good focuses on supporting the transformation of the food system through selected initiatives in climate action, nature regeneration, healthier products, and strengthening the livelihoods of producers and workers. We focus on selected supply chains, namely coffee, cocoa, fruit & vegetables, dairy & beef. Through Force for Good, we have introduced a new set of ambitious targets across climate, nature and people, recognising that progress in each depends on progress across all.
ALDI SÜD HOLDING guides the activities of the ALDI SÜD Group. It manages a range of functions, including buying, finance, and sustainability. Based in Salzburg, Austria it helps coordinate activities across our global markets to deliver on ALDI’s customer promise: great value products at low prices.
From 2020 to 2025, ALDI implemented the Global Sustainability Strategy (GSS), which established foundational sustainability approaches across our markets. This strategy focused on assessing sustainability risks and shaping priorities in responsible sourcing, packaging improvements, climate action, and social compliance. It supported ALDI in meeting evolving regulatory requirements and responding to stakeholder expectations at the time.
ALDI established a Sustainability Unit in Bangladesh to support sustainability engagement with suppliers and manufacturers in the region. This unit functions as a regional sustainability hub for the Indian Subcontinent.
In 2017, ALDI made its debut in the China market through its global flagship store.
In 2015, ALDI published its first Social Standards in Production. In 2023, these were updated and renamed to Business Partner Sustainability Standards, which set out minimum sustainability requirements for suppliers across ALDI supply chains.
ALDI established a Sustainability Unit in Hong Kong SAR, China, under its Asian office. This unit functions as a regional hub supporting sustainability initiatives in China and South-East Asia.
The Hong Kong Office serves as a support hub for buying activities within the ALDI SÜD Group. Since its establishment, it has expanded and developed into an established department.
ALDI established a group-wide sustainability department in 2010 to help integrate sustainability into everyday business operations. The department was initially located in Mülheim, Germany and later relocated to Salzburg, Austria.
This policy provided a framework for sustainability practices across the ALDI SÜD Group and applied to employees and business partners for several years.
The first ALDI stores in Switzerland opened in 2005.
In 2005, the first eleven HOFER stores opened in Slovenia.
ALDI opened its first Australian store in Sydney in 2001.
ALDI launched its first store in Great Britain, located in Stechford, Birmingham, in 1990.
ALDI opened its first store in the United States, located in Chicago, Illinois, in 1976.
ALDI SÜD began international expansion in 1968 through acquisition of the grocery chain HOFER in Austria.
In 1961, the Albrecht brothers officially changed the name to ALDI, short for Albrecht Discount, reflecting the business's commitment to providing affordable products. They also split the business into ALDI Nord and ALDI SÜD.
By 1955, the Albrecht brothers operated over 100 stores in Germany. Known for their frugality, they minimised spending on advertising and discontinued products with low sales. By maintaining prices lower than competitors, the discount store grew their customer base in post-World War II Germany, where the economy was recovering from significant destruction.
In 1946, the brothers officially founded their grocery chain in Germany. Guided by a focus on affordability and operational efficiency, they introduced a no-frills retail model, offering a limited range of products at low prices from a small neighbourhood store.
In 1913, the business was founded in Essen by the Albrecht family. Brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht’s entrepreneurial journey began with their mother, who opened a small grocery store in a suburb of Essen in 1913. The brothers inherited this store, which proved resilient and survived the bombings during the war.
