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Germany: Richest German is the owner of Discounter Lidl

Discount Retail Chain Lidl and its sister Kaufland are well know his grocery retail stores in Germany, but hardly anyone knows his face: Dieter Schwarz, founder of Lidl and Kaufland. He is not only the richest person from Baden-Württemberg, but also the richest German ever. With an estimated fortune of 41.3 billion US dollars (about 38.2 billion euros), he also ranks 37th in the global billionaire ranking of "Forbes".


Born in Heilbronn in 1939, Schwarz grew up as the son of an entrepreneur. His father Josef, a trained businessman, had taken over the business of Lidl & Co. Südfrüchtenhandlung in 1930 and thus laid the foundation for the family fortune. The small business later developed into a food wholesaler under the name Lidl & Schwarz KG.

 

After graduating from high school, Dieter Schwarz originally wanted to study mathematics. In the end, however, he decided to join the family business and completed a commercial apprenticeship there.


The Schwarz Group is now one of the largest retail groups in the world

His big breakthrough came in the early 1970s, when he opened the first Lidl discounter, inspired by the Aldi principle. Discounters were still the exception at the time, but Lidl grew quickly and became one of the largest players in European retail under his leadership. Kaufland followed in 1984, this supermarket concept was also a hit.


Today, the Schwarz Group is one of the largest retail groups in the world. With nearly 14,000 stores in 32 countries, it generates annual sales of over 167 billion euros, making it the fourth largest retailer in the world after Walmart, Amazon and Costco. Dieter Schwarz has also expanded his business with his own production plants for chocolate, baked goods and beverages, as well as with his own container shipping company.


Officially, the entrepreneur withdrew from the operational business in 1999. However, he retains control through his foundation and invests specifically in education, science and digitalization, especially in his German hometown of Heilbronn. Universities, research institutions and, from 2025, an innovation park for artificial intelligence (Ipai) will be built there.


While other super-rich appear on talk shows or proudly show off their yachts, Schwarz consistently avoids the public. He rejects interviews as a matter of principle and there are hardly any photos of him. What is known about his private life: He is married and has two daughters, but according to media reports, they have deliberately decided against a career in the family business.


 
 
 

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