8. Theo Albrecht Jr. and family – $18.9 billion
Theo Albrecht Jr. is the lone surviving son of Theo Albrecht, the man who built up a large grocery chain in Germany and the rest of the European mainland in the 1960’s. After the elder Albrecht died, he left his fortune to his two sons, Theo, Jr. and Berthold. Berthold, however, passed away in November 2012, leaving behind his wife Babette and five children. As all the businesses are controlled by a foundation that gives out dividends to family members, all of them still have a stake in the various companies. Among them are Aldi Nord, the German discount supermarket chain; and Trader Joe’s, an American discount grocery retailer.
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