Aldi under fire for historic scandals and app‑coupon dispute

The German discount chain Aldi, founded by brothers Theo and Karl Albrecht after World War II and split in 1961 into Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd, has been linked to several controversial episodes. Historical investigations cite surveillance scandals, allegations of poor working conditions and the 1971 kidnapping attempt on Theo Albrecht outside the company’s headquarters in Herten.

In a recent stance against the growing use of app‑based coupons, Aldi announced that its prices will remain the same for all customers without the need to activate a discount via a smartphone app, launching the "Einfach Einkaufen" campaign. The policy sparked a public rebuttal from rival Lidl, which posted a mocking message on LinkedIn and highlighted its own Lidl Plus app, used by over 20 million German shoppers, as evidence of the popularity of digital coupons.