A privately owned company is one which is not listed on a securities exchange. These companies may be small or mid-sized businesses and typically are owned by one individual or a small group of individuals. Although listing on a securities exchange may be a great way to raise capital, they may not opt to do so due to the need to comply with several regulations.
For example…
Did you know German supermarket retailer, ALDI is a privately owned company? Privately held by brothers Theo and Karl Albrecht, commentators suspect that even though they are growing successfully around the world, they would rather grow internally and avoid publicly trading shares. As a result, they don’t have to meet requirements imposed upon publicly traded companies like reporting or shareholder management.
