Juan Roig

Juan Roig was born on 8 October 1949 in Valencia.[2] He studied in a Jesuit school in Valencia, then at a boarding school, and graduated in economics at Valencia, but was not an outstanding student. Eight years after graduating, he studied a postgraduate at IESE Business School, University of Navarra.[3]

His parents ran a chain of eight butchers' shops (Cárnicas Roig) in La Pobla de Farnals, later converted to grocery stores.[4]

With three of his five brothers, Juan Roig bought the shops from his parents in 1981. He largely bought out his brothers in 1991,[5] and went on to build up the Mercadona supermarket chain, which now runs over 1,400 stores.[4] His success in retail has been based on a risky strategy of competitive pricing,[6] and on technological innovations such as barcode scanners and automated distribution facilities.[5] He introduced full-time contracts for all employees in the late 1990s.[5]

Roig was awarded the Prince Felipe Prize for Business Excellence in 2010.[5]

Forbes magazine in October 2013 reported that Roig was worth 5.8 billion euros, the second largest fortune in Spain.[7] This in fact is the estimated value of the 78% stake in Mercadona jointly owned by himself and his wife. But since Mercadona shares are not publicly quoted, the figure is somewhat speculative.[4] As of July 2018, Forbes estimated his net worth at US$4.3 billion.[1] The shareholding yielded dividend income totalling over $400 million between 2006 and 2013 for Roig and his wife jointly.[5]

In August 2022, Roig's net worth was estimated to be around US$3.5 billion (according to Forbes).[8]

At university he met Hortensia Herrero, and they married in 1973.[9] They have four children, and live in Valencia, Spain.[1] His wife is now vice-president of Mercadona.[4] He is said to favour family ownership in business, provided that the family members contribute positively.[5]

He has been described as "shy, but a tough businessman" and as "a practical man, direct, austere, takes things seriously, his manner may appear cold if he does not trust the person he is talking to". Many aphorisms are ascribed to him, such as "in Spain we have to imitate the hard-working culture of the Chinese bazaars" and "you do not have to do a job that you like, but you have to make your job something you like doing".[4]

Through his wholly owned company Alquería Capital, Roig supports Proyecto Lanzadera, which helps young entrepreneurs set up their businesses and offers them space within the Lanzadera Business Centre, in Valencia.[10] He also sponsors a professional basketball team, called Valencia Basket.[4]

• Manuel Mira (2 April 2013). Juan Roig: De cómo Mercadona devino en imperio (Juan Roig: How Mercadona became an empire) (in Spanish). La Esfera de los Libros. ISBN 978-84-9970-830-0.
• Javier Alfonso (10 April 2014). Historia de un éxito: Mercadona: Las claves del triunfo de Juan Roig (Success story: Mercadona - Juan Roig's keys to success) (in Spanish). Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial España. ISBN 978-84-16029-10-5.