Dieter Schwarz

In 1973, Dieter Schwarz joined the "Lidl & Schwarz KG" business of his father Josef Schwarz and opened the company's first discount supermarket, inspired by the brothers Albrecht.[2] After his father died in 1977, he took control of the discount chain. He became CEO and expanded the business outside of Germany.[3] Soon afterwards, Schwarz bought the naming rights for Lidl from an unrelated person named Ludwig Lidl, a former schoolteacher, in order to side-step a legal battle with the co-owner A. Lidl.[4]

In 2009, he was estimated to be worth 10 billion euro.[5] As of October 2012, he was estimated to be worth 12 billion euro, an increase from 11.5 billion euro in 2011.[6] In 2013, he was estimated be worth €19.6 billion, and ranked the 24^th richest person in the world.[4] As of February 2014, he was ranked as 23^rd richest person in the world in the Hurun Report Global Rich List.[7]

In July 2020, Forbes listed Schwarz as the 30^th richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of US$34.8 billion.[1]

Since 1999, Schwarz manages his resources through the tax-exempt Dieter Schwarz Foundation (gGmbH, limited liability company with a charitable purpose), when he transferred his shares in Lidl and Kaufland into it, deciding just how much of his profits go into the foundation.[8] The Dieter Schwarz Foundation supports education and daycare facilities for children, for example, as well as science and research projects.[1]

In 1963, Schwarz married Franziska Weipert. They live in Heilbronn and have two daughters.[9] Schwarz is known to be very protective of his privacy.[4]