The Aldi story took a dramatic turn in 1971 when Theo Albrecht (center) was kidnapped and held at gunpoint by a disgruntled lawyer called Heinz-Joachim Ollenburg and his accomplice Paul Kro.

A ransom of DM7 million, the equivalent of over $22m in today's money, was paid and Albrecht was released after 17 days in captivity. Theo Albrecht later tried to claim the ransom as a tax-deductible expense.

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