Who Owns Trader Joe's?
Updated onExplore the ownership hierarchy of Trader Joe's. See parent companies, holding structures, and ultimate controllers.
Ownership Chain
Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's is a U.S. neighborhood grocery store chain known for its private-label specialty foods, value pricing, and quirky in-store experience.
ALDI Nord
ALDI Nord is a German-based discount supermarket group operating thousands of grocery stores in eight European countries, offering mainly private-label food and household products at low prices.
Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's is a U.S. neighborhood grocery store chain known for its private-label specialty foods, value pricing, and quirky in-store experience.
ALDI Nord
ALDI Nord is a German-based discount supermarket group operating thousands of grocery stores in eight European countries, offering mainly private-label food and household products at low prices.
Major Shareholders
Trader Joe's
Major Shareholders
| Name | Type | Ownership | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
Markus-Stiftung (Albrecht family foundation) German family foundation created by Aldi Nord co‑founder Theo Albrecht. German sources on the Markus‑Stiftung state that it administers the combined assets of Aldi Nord and Trader Joe’s and is the 100% legal owner of Trader Joe’s, while also holding a majority stake in Aldi Nord; the remaining Aldi Nord shares are held by the Lukas‑ and Jakobus‑Stiftung, which are also Albrecht family foundations. | Other | 100.0% | — |
Albrecht family (heirs of Theo Albrecht) Ultimate beneficial owners of Trader Joe’s through their control of the Markus‑, Lukas‑ and Jakobus‑Stiftung family foundations, which together own and control Aldi Nord and Trader Joe’s. Business and wealth rankings consistently describe the Albrecht family as the billionaire owners behind Aldi Nord and Trader Joe’s, but exact individual ownership percentages within the family are not publicly disclosed because the group is privately held. | Family | — | — |
Aldi Nord group (intermediate corporate owner / sister company) Many English‑language business and consumer sources describe Trader Joe’s as being owned by the German discount supermarket group Aldi Nord, which acquired Trader Joe’s from founder Joe Coulombe in 1979. In current descriptions, Aldi Nord and Trader Joe’s are portrayed as closely related companies within the same Albrecht family–controlled group, with ownership ultimately resting in the Albrecht family foundations; German legal commentary indicates Trader Joe’s may be held directly by Markus‑Stiftung alongside Aldi Nord as a sister company, so the precise intermediate shareholding chain is not fully transparent in public filings. | Corporate | — | — |
ALDI Nord
Major Shareholders
| Name | Type | Ownership | Voting | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Markus-Stiftung Majority family foundation shareholder of Unternehmensgruppe ALDI Nord; holds about 61% of Aldi Nord and 100% of Trader Joe's shares through the Albrecht family foundation structure. | Family | 61.0% | 61.0% | — |
Lukas-Stiftung Family foundation that owns roughly 19.5% of Aldi Nord and benefits the family branch around Theo Albrecht Jr., his wife and daughter; one of the three foundations that together control Aldi Nord. | Family | 19.5% | 19.5% | — |
Jakobus-/Jacobus-Stiftung Family foundation holding about 19.5% of Aldi Nord, associated with the family of Berthold Albrecht; together with Markus- and Lukas-Stiftung it jointly controls Aldi Nord via the tripartite family-foundation structure ('Doppelstiftungsmodell'). | Family | 19.5% | 19.5% | — |
Albrecht family (descendants of Theo Albrecht) The economic beneficiaries of the Markus-, Lukas- and Jakobus-/Jacobus-Stiftung are the descendants of Aldi co‑founder Theo Albrecht, particularly the branches of his sons Theo Jr. and Berthold; through these family foundations they retain ultimate control over Aldi Nord. | Family | — | — | — |
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