Schwarz vs Zhong Shanshan

Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland) and Nongfu Spring.

The differences

Forbes puts Zhong Shanshan about $3.1B ahead of Dieter Schwarz.Forbes figures from 2 Sep 2026 and 17 Sep 2026.
Dieter Schwarz: inherited and grew it. Zhong Shanshan: founded it.
Dieter Schwarz is about 15 years older than Zhong Shanshan.
Dieter Schwarz is from Germany; Zhong Shanshan is from China.

Put someone else on either side

Schwarz

Zhong Shanshan

Net worth, Forbes: $58.2BForbes, 17 Sep 2026; $61.3BForbes, 2 Sep 2026
Net worth, Bloomberg: $46.7BBloomberg, 17 Oct 2026; $61.5BBloomberg, 14 Oct 2026
Forbes rank: No. 33Real-Time list, 6 Jun 2026; No. 31Real-Time list, 2 Sep 2026
Billionaire since: Not stated; 2020On the 2020 Forbes Billionaires List (published April 2020) at No. 1,063 with $2 billion; the earliest appearance in the cited sources, not necessarily his first

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; Founded itFounded Nongfu Spring's predecessor in September 1996, and Yangshengtang in 1993; Forbes labels him 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'; Nongfu Spring stock, then Beijing Wantai stockBloomberg: 'the majority of Zhong Shanshan's fortune is derived from his 84.5% stake in Nongfu Spring'
Companies: Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland)Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland): Honorary board member with veto power; Nongfu SpringNongfu Spring: Founder, chairman, executive director and general manager
Biggest stake: Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland)Stake not stated; Nongfu Spring84.0379% owned

Born: 1939Heilbronn, Germany; 1954Hangzhou, China
Country: GermanyLives in Neckarsulm, Germany; ChinaLives in Hangzhou, China
Education: Not statedJoined his father's company after finishing high school; No universityLeft elementary school during the Cultural Revolution
Parents: His father Josef Schwarz was a partner in the fruit wholesaler Lidl & Co.; 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; Zhongziyi Education FundInitiated, founded and controlled by Zhong, per Nongfu Spring's listing document; it funds private universities and schools
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 and general manager of Nongfu Spring; chairman of Yangshengtang
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 namedHis son Zhong Shu Zi is a non-executive director of Nongfu Spring and has been assistant to the general manager since March 2026
Public office: None found; None found
Legal record: None found; None found