Table of Contents
What is Dieter Schwarz’s Net Worth?
Dieter Schwarz, a German billionaire businessman, has an estimated net worth of $37.8 billion, placing him among the wealthiest individuals in Germany and the world. His wealth primarily stems from his ownership and control of the Schwarz Group, which includes the supermarket chain Lidl and the hypermarket chain Kaufland.
The Schwarz Group is one of the largest retail groups globally, with significant annual revenues and extensive international operations. The group’s revenue for the fiscal year 2022/23 was €154.1 billion.
Dieter Schwarz inherited the Schwarz Group from his father, Josef Schwarz, in 1977 and has since expanded it significantly. Under his leadership, Lidl and Kaufland have grown to over 13,700 stores worldwide, employing around 575,000 people in 32 countries. Schwarz has also established the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, which supports educational and charitable initiatives.
Here’s the breakdown of Dieter Schwarz’s net worth:
Name: | Dieter Schwarz |
Net Worth: | $38.8 Billion |
Date of Birth: | Sep 24, 1939 |
Profession: | Entrepreneur, Businessperson |
If you’re curious about how we estimate a celebrity’s net worth, you can check out our methodology here.
Early Life
Dieter Schwarz was born on September 24, 1939, in Heilbronn, Germany. His father, Josef Schwarz, was a businessman who co-founded the Schwarz-Gruppe, initially a fruit wholesaler, which later evolved into the retail giant known today.
Dieter was the youngest of four children and grew up in a family with strong business acumen. After completing his education, he joined his father’s business in 1973, marking the beginning of his illustrious career in retail.
Career
Dieter Schwarz’s career began in earnest when he joined Lidl & Schwarz KG in 1973. Inspired by the success of the Albrecht brothers’ Aldi stores, he opened the first Lidl store in Ludwigshafen, Germany, in 1973.
Following his father’s death in 1977, Dieter took over the company, acquiring the naming rights from Ludwig Lidl to avoid legal complications. Under his leadership, Lidl expanded rapidly, becoming one of Europe’s largest discount supermarket chains.
In 1984, he established the hypermarket chain Kaufland, further diversifying the Schwarz Group’s retail portfolio. By the early 2000s, Lidl and Kaufland had a significant presence across Europe, with thousands of stores generating substantial revenues.
Dieter Schwarz retired from active management in 1999 but continued to influence the company through the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, which he established to manage his resources and support educational and charitable initiatives.
The Schwarz Group, under his guidance, also ventured into waste management through its subsidiary GreenCycle, acquiring Germany’s Toensmeier Group in 2018 and France’s Suez SA in 2020.
Personal Life
Dieter Schwarz is known for his reclusive lifestyle and strong privacy. He married Franziska Weipert in 1963, and the couple has two daughters, Regine and Monika. The family resides in Heilbronn, Germany. Schwarz is a devout member of the Protestant free church community and is known for his strong family values.
Despite his immense wealth, Schwarz avoids public attention and rarely appears in the media. Only a few photographs of him exist, and he has consistently declined interviews and public appearances. His commitment to privacy is so profound that even when he was made an honorary citizen of Heilbronn in 2007, no photographs from the ceremony were released.
Schwarz’s philanthropic efforts are channeled through the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, which supports a wide range of educational and research initiatives. The foundation has been instrumental in transforming Heilbronn into a hub for education and innovation, with significant investments in AI, cybersecurity, and quantum computing.
Ashley Roberts is the founder of Real-Time Billionaires List. She founded this platform because she likes to know how much celebrities are actually making. She is always curious why these people can make much more money than the ordinary person.
With a Bachelor’s degree in finance, she is skilled at financial analysis and understands numbers related to wealth. Most of the articles on this site are edited by herself before publishing.
