Karl Albrecht
Karl and Theo Albrecht's mother opened a small store in a suburb of Essen in 1913. Their father was employed as a miner and later as a baker's assistant. Karl Albrecht was born in 1920 and Theo Albrecht was born in 1922. Theo Albrecht completed an apprenticeship in his mother's store, while Karl Albrecht worked in a delicatessen.