Introduction
Dieter Schwarz (born 24 September 1939) is a German entrepreneur and owner of the Schwarz-Gruppe. He is the chairman and CEO of the supermarket chain Lidl and the hypermarket chain Kaufland. As of February 2014, he is ranked as 23rd richest person in the world in the Hurun Report Global Rich List.He is also regarded as "The Richest Man in Germany".
Career
After the death of his father Josef Schwarz in 1977, he took control of the Schwarz & Lidl discount chain. Soon afterwards, he bought the naming rights from the co-owner Ludwig Lidl, who was a former schoolteacher.
Net worth
In 2009 he was estimated to be worth 10 billion euro. As of October 2012 he was estimated to be worth 12 billion euro and increase from 11.5 billion euro in 2011. As of October 2012, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index lists Schwarz as the 29th richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of US$20.2 billion.
In 2013, he was estimated be worth €19.6 billion, and ranked the 24th richest person in the world. As of February 2014, he is ranked as 23rd richest person in the world in the Hurun Report Global Rich List.
Personal life
Schwarz lives in Heilbronn, with his wife Franziska and has two children.
Schwarz is known to be very protective of his privacy, with only two photographs of him known to exist, one of them in black and white.