All Brands Owned by Schwarz Group (Schwarz Gruppe GmbH)

Who owns Schwarz Group?
Schwarz Group is controlled by the Dieter Schwarz Stiftung, a charitable foundation holding the ownership interests of founder Dieter Schwarz. The structure makes the group unsellable and privately held in perpetuity, with profits reinvested in the business and the foundation's charitable work.

Is Schwarz Group publicly traded?
No. Schwarz Group is private and owned through a foundation structure. Neither the group nor its Lidl and Kaufland divisions have stock listings, and the structure precludes an IPO.

How much revenue does Schwarz Group generate?
The group generated EUR 185.6 billion in total revenue in fiscal year 2025, up 5.8% from EUR 175.4 billion the prior year. Lidl contributed EUR 140.2 billion and Kaufland EUR 36.7 billion.

What companies does Schwarz Group own?
The group comprises roughly 1,290 companies organized into divisions: Lidl (discount supermarkets), Kaufland (hypermarkets), PreZero (recycling), Schwarz Produktion (manufacturing), Schwarz Digits (IT and STACKIT cloud) and Schwarz Corporate Solutions.

Where is Schwarz Group headquartered?
The group is headquartered in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Its retail operations span 33 countries, primarily across Europe plus the United States.

When was Schwarz Group founded?
The business traces to a wholesale food company Josef Schwarz joined in 1930 in Heilbronn, Germany. The Lidl retail chain was founded by his son Dieter Schwarz in 1973, and Kaufland followed in 1984.