Aldi is one of the largest grocery chains in the world, with over 10,000 stores globally. As a private company, Aldi does not have publicly traded stocks that investors can directly buy. However, there are still several methods investors can use to invest in Aldi. First, investors can invest in Aldi’s parent company and owner, Aldi Nord. Second, investors may be able to invest in Aldi subsidiaries that are publicly listed, like Aldi US. Third, investors can invest in public competitors with similar business models, like Costco. By leveraging these approaches, investors have options to gain exposure to Aldi and the deep value grocery sector.
Invest in Aldi’s parent company Aldi Nord
Aldi Nord is the parent company of Aldi and owns the Aldi stores in Europe and the United States. It is a private company owned by the Albrecht family. While Aldi Nord does not have public shares, some brokerages provide opportunities to invest in private equity in Aldi Nord. This allows investors to gain direct ownership and upside in the Aldi parent company. However, minimums tend to be high and liquidity is low compared to public markets. Overall, investing in Aldi Nord directly provides the purest investment exposure to Aldi as a whole.
Invest in Aldi’s public subsidiaries and spinoffs
While the Aldi parent company is private, some of its former subsidiaries and spinoffs have publicly listed stocks that investors can purchase. For example, Aldi US was owned by Aldi Nord until 1979 when it was sold and became public as Trader Joe’s (now owned by Aldi Sud). Additionally, some international Aldi Nord subsidiaries may have public listings in overseas markets. By investing in these public former Aldi subsidiaries, investors can gain indirect exposure to the success of Aldi’s business model historically.
Invest in public companies with similar business models
Since Aldi Nord is a private company, investors can look to competitors and companies with similar business models that are publicly traded. For instance, Costco is a prime example of another low-cost warehouse retailer delivering value for money to consumers. With a similar focus on simple stores, bulk packaged goods, and discounted prices, Costco mirrors elements of the Aldi playbook. Investing in Costco provides public market exposure to the broad deep discount grocery sector that Aldi dominates in Europe. While an imperfect proxy, it delivers access to comparable industry tailwinds.
In summary, investors looking to invest in Aldi have three main options: investing directly in the private parent company Aldi Nord, investing in former publicly traded Aldi subsidiaries, and investing in public market competitors like Costco with comparable business models focused on no-frills value for consumers.