People have been left gobsmacked after learning how Aldi got its name and what it actually stands for – as many learn about its history as a supermarket chain for the first time
German budget supermarket Aldi is so engrained into Brits’ lives that they didn’t even realise the name is actually short for something.
The first Aldi store opened in Birmingham in 1990, so it’s easy to forget that it’s not actually a British store, and doesn’t have a British name. It’s not like Asda, a British supermarket chain which stands for Associated Dairies.
It turns out, despite being around for more than 30 years, people are only just realising what Aldi’s name stands for. Aldi originated in Essen, Germany, when Anna Albrecht opened a small grocery store in 1913 – which gives you half of the name.
When her two sons, Karl and Theo Albrecht, came back after fighting in World World II, they took over the store, and they expanded to more than 100 stores in 1955.
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They proved popular by keeping prices low, which they were able to do by not spending money on advertising, which gave them an edge in the post-war economy. By 1962 there were more than 300 stores.
Aldi stands for Albrect-Diskont, which in English means Albrecht’s Discount, which is a name the brothers introduced in 1961. They eventually took the two first letters of each word to form Aldi, which is pronounced All-Dee.
While it is not known why the brothers decided to shorten the brand name, a statement confirms: “Aldi is a chain of supermarkets.
“It was founded by Anna Albrecht and her sons Karl and Theo, who expanded a small store into a chain of self-service, great-value stores where people could pay for goods on account. As their business expanded across Germany, they settled on the name Aldi – short for Albrecht and Discount. The first UK Aldi store opened in 1990. Today, you’ll find our grocery stores all over the world.”
Aldi stands for Albrect-Diskont, which in English means Albrecht’s Discount, which is a name the brothers introduced in 1961. They eventually took the two first letters of each word to form Aldi, which is pronounced All-Dee.
Fans of the discount chain were shocked to learn the origin of the name, with one person on Twitter saying: “ALbrecht DIscount =ALDI who’d of known.”
Another added: “Probably the most useful thing I’ve learnt in German this year is that Aldi is short for Albrecht-Discount.”
A second commented: “Never knew ALDI actually stood for something. It stands for Albrecht Discount believe it or not.”
“Aldi is actually short for Albrecht Discount. Well you learn something new everyday,” tweeted a third.
It turns out many people are only just realising what popular brands actually stand for, even though we say their names every day.
People were recently baffled after learning what ASICS stands for, as it actually has quite a profound meaning.
Similarly, many have only just realised that tea brand PG Tips actually stands for Pre-Gestee – a variant of their original name Digestive Tea, which implied it could be used as a digestive aid.
Shoppers were also shocked to learn that ASOS actually stands for As Seen On Screen.
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