Schwarz vs Yanai

Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland) and Fast Retailing (Uniqlo).

The differences

Forbes puts Dieter Schwarz about $3.1B ahead of Tadashi Yanai.Forbes figures from 17 Sep 2026 and 27 Mar 2026.
Dieter Schwarz is about 10 years older than Tadashi Yanai.
Dieter Schwarz is from Germany; Tadashi Yanai is from Japan.

Put someone else on either side

Schwarz

Yanai

Net worth, Forbes: $58.2BForbes, 17 Sep 2026; $55.1BForbes, 27 Mar 2026
Net worth, Bloomberg: $46.7BBloomberg, 17 Oct 2026; $69.5BBloomberg, 16 Oct 2026
Forbes rank: No. 33Real-Time list, 6 Jun 2026; No. 33Real-Time list, 27 Mar 2026
Billionaire since: Not stated; Not stated

How it started: Inherited and grew itForbes: he inherited the company from his father Josef, opened the first Lidl store in 1973, became CEO in 1977 and built Schwarz Group into Europe's largest retailer; Inherited and grew itHis father Hitoshi Yanai founded the men's shop Ogori Shoji in 1949; Tadashi joined in 1972, became president in 1984, opened the first Uniqlo that year and built it into Fast Retailing. The company calls him its founder and Forbes lists him as self-made
Main source: Control of Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland, PreZero)Bloomberg: 'The majority of Dieter Schwarz's fortune derives from his control of Schwarz Group'; Fast Retailing shares (Uniqlo)Bloomberg: 'The majority of Tadashi Yanai's fortune is derived from his stake in Fast Retailing'
Companies: Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland)Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland): Honorary board member with veto power; Fast Retailing (Uniqlo)Fast Retailing (Uniqlo): Chairman, president and CEO
Biggest stake: Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland)Stake not stated; Fast Retailing (Uniqlo)18.96% owned

Born: 1939Heilbronn, Germany; 7 Feb 1949Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
Country: GermanyLives in Neckarsulm, Germany; JapanLives in Tokyo, Japan
Education: Not statedJoined his father's company after finishing high school; Bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree in political science and economics, Waseda University (1971)
Parents: His father Josef Schwarz was a partner in the fruit wholesaler Lidl & Co.; His father founded and ran a men's clothing shop in Ube, Yamaguchi PrefectureMother's occupation not stated

Giving Pledge: Not a signer; Not a signer
Foundation: Dieter Schwarz StiftungFunds education and research in Heilbronn (Bildungscampus, experimenta, IPAI); it also holds the Lidl and Kaufland shares; Yanai Tadashi FoundationFounded 2015 (scholarships); he also chairs the Fast Retailing Foundation
Lifetime giving: Not stated; Not stated

Role now: On the boardHonorary board member of Schwarz Group's operating company; no longer general partner since December 2021; Runs the companyChairman, president and CEO of Fast Retailing; chairman of UNIQLO
Successor: Gerd Chrzanowski, general partner of Schwarz Group since 1 December 2021A management handover, not an ownership heir; no Schwarz family member is in the group's named executive roster; None namedHe is expected to be reappointed chairman, president and CEO after the 26 November 2026 shareholder meeting. Kazumi Yanai and Koji Yanai are group senior executive officers and directors; Bloomberg says shares held by his two sons are credited to him
Public office: None found; None found
Legal record: None found; None found