The billionaire owner of German supermarket chain Kaufland is a reclusive businessman dubbed the ‘phantom’ – with only two photos of him known to exist.
Dieter Schwarz, 80, has been the CEO of chains Lidl and Kaufland for more than 40 years after taking control of the family business in 1977.
Since then, he has managed to build a successful chain of supermarkets across the globe that made him the 36th richest person in the world with a net worth of $19.6billion.
But despite his wealth and success, Schwarz has been known to live an extremely private life in Germany to the point that hardly anything is known about him.
Lidl and Kaufland CEO Dieter Schwarz has been known to live an extremely private life in Germany to the point that hardly anything is known about him
Kaufland supermarket chains were expected to launch in Australia and create 2,400 jobs before the company announced its decision to pull out last month
His reclusive nature has sparked rumours and theories over why he turned to such a life, including claims he and his family were targeted by terrorist gangs in the 1970s, news.com.au reported.
A 2018 documentary, Die Lidl-Story, offered a glimpse into the man’s secretive life, claiming he was motivated to withdraw from the public after a group of criminals threatened him and his daughters.
‘He is a mystery, lives out of sight, avoids all publicity. Extremely little is known about him, and very few people in his close circle dare talk to the press,’ the documentary said.
In German media he is dubbed ‘Das Phantom von Heilbronn’ which translates to the ‘the phantom of Heilbronn’ – his hometown.
It is also claimed he visits churches disguised as a priest in order to go undetected and enjoys exercising to Swedish pop group ABBA.
Only two photos of the man are reported to exist in public – with one being black and white, according to news.com.au.
The businessman’s hush-hush demeanor has also been apparent in the abrupt withdrawal of Kaufland in Australia earlier this year.
About 200 local employees were left in limbo in January after the company made the shock decision to pull out of the country ahead of its launch.
Kaufland said it would be undertaking an ‘orderly withdrawal’ from Australia to focus on growth in Europe.
Frank Schumann, acting CEO of Kaufland International, apologised to employees for the ‘disruption this decision will cause’.
The Kaufland building site at Prospect in Adelaide, Wednesday, September 4, 2019
‘This was not an easy decision for us. We always felt welcome in Australia,’ he said, according to Brisbane Times.
‘In Europe, we see a great deal of growth potential. We will actively shape the consolidation of the European retail sector, thus further reinforcing our leading position.’
Kaufland was expected to prompt price competition between nation-wide industry leaders Coles and Woolworths, which have the monopoly on consumer choice.
The retailer also bared a striking resemblance to German supermarket Aldi with almost 39,000 more products, evoking fears it would destroy the low-cost store.
The German supermarket giant was expected to create 2,400 jobs with the launch of nine new stores in Victoria and Queensland this year.
Kaufland was expected to be a cross between a supermarket and stores such as Target and Kmart, selling groceries as well as hardware such as toys, bikes, sports equipment, electronics and household goods.
The decision to leave Australia comes after the launch of Kaufland’s $255million distribution centre in Mickleham, in Melbourne’s north, last June.
The 117,000 square metre warehouse was expected to create 600 jobs.
Additional Victorian sites included Dandenong, Epping, Chirnside Park, Braybrook, Lyndhurst, Geelong, South Morang, Bendigo, Narre Warren, Warrnambool, Coburg and Pakenham
Kaufland, which is the fourth largest retainer in the world, was expected to prompt price competition between nation-wide industry leaders Coles and Woolworths