Gérard Mulliez

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Gérard Mulliez
Born (1931-05-13) 13 May 1931 (age 90)
Roubaix, France
NationalityFrench
Known forFounder, Auchan
Spouse(s)married
Children3
Parent(s)Gérard Mulliez
RelativesLouis Mulliez-Lestienne (paternal grandfather)
Louis Mulliez (paternal uncle) Michel Leclercq (cousin)

Gérard Paul Louis Marie-Joseph Mulliez (born 13 May 1931) is a French businessman. He is the founder of the Auchan chain of department stores.

Early life[]

Gérard Mulliez was born on 13 May 1931 in Roubaix, France. His father, Gérard Mulliez, was the owner of , a knitting yarn brand founded by his grandfather, Louis Mulliez-Lestienne.[3][4] His uncle, Louis Mulliez, was the owner of the Saint-Liévin factory in Lille.[3] He has five siblings.[3]

Mulliez got bad grades at school.[3] He spent a year in England, where he learned to play rugby and pool, and learned to speak English.[3] He failed his Baccalaureate.[3][4]

Career[]

Mulliez started his career working for his father's company, working his way up until he became its Chairman.[3][4]

In 1961, at the age of twenty-nine, after witnessing department stores on a trip to the US, he opened his first Auchan store in Roubaix, France.[5] He retired as chairman in 1996 and as CEO in 2006 handing over control to his nephew, .[5]

His holding Association Familiale Mulliez (AFM) controls Auchan as well as a diverse mix of other retail chains such as Leroy Merlin, Decathlon, Saint Maclou, Kiloutou, Kiabi, Flunch, etc.[2] It is co-owned between a thousand family members.[2] Six hundred of his cousins are millionaires as a result.[4]

In 2004, he was the recipient of the Légion d'honneur.[6]

Wealth[]

According to Challenge Magazine, he was worth 19 billion Euros in 2013, 20 billion Euros in 2014, and according to Capital, nearly 40 billion Euros in 2016[7] making him the first richest person in France.[2][8][9] According to Capital, the Mulliez family was the richest family in France in 2014.[10] According to Hurun Report, he is 18th richest person in the world with a net worth of US$30 billion.[1] Some of his family members reside in Néchin, Belgium.[3][4]

He has revealed that he has also spent less than he earns,[11] and reinvests most of his earnings.[3] He added that most of his wealth is tied up in family shares, and he would not be able to spend much of it.[3] He is in favour of taxing annual incomes upwards of 500,000 Euros, but not dividends on investments, arguing that this would scare investors away.[3]

On 21 February 2015, he paid a personal visit to the youth wing of the French Communist Party in Lille to protest a poster accusing him of profiting from the financial crisis, as he got richer while his employees saw their spending power diminish.[8][12] He argued that he employed a lot of people, adding that by the time he was their age, he had already opened his first store.[8][12]

Personal life[]

Mulliez and his wife have three children. They reside in Croix near Lille and own another house in the South of France.[3] They are practising Roman Catholics.[3] He spends his weekends biking and hiking in the countryside.[3]

Bibliography[]

See also[]

  • List of French people by net worth

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "胡润百富". Hurun.net. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Gérard Mulliez et sa famille, Challenges Magazine
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Marie Bordet, Gérard Mulliez se confie enfin, Le Point, 12 July 2012
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Qui est Gérard Mulliez, troisième fortune de France et (discret) fondateur d'Auchan ?, Sud Ouest, 23 February 2015
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Carol Matlack, 'Gerard Mulliez' Auchan: France's Wal-Mart Goes Global', in BusinessWeek, 10 December 2009 [1]
  6. ^ "Biographie de Gérard Mulliez Auchan". Edubourse.com. 13 May 1931. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  7. ^ "Le classement des 10 premières fortunes de France - Capital". Photo.capital.fr. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c Le fondateur d'Auchan à des jeunes communistes : "À votre âge, j'avais déjà ouvert mon premier magasin", Sud-Ouest, 23 February 2015
  9. ^ "Photo Gérard Mulliez". LeJDD.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  10. ^ Classement des 100 Français les plus riches en 2014 : les Mulliez, toujours en tête, France 3, 25 June 2014
  11. ^ Gérard Mulliez: "Toujours dépenser moins qu'on gagne", in L'Express, 9 July 2008
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Lille : en colère, le fondateur d'Auchan s'invite chez les communistes, Le Figaro, 22 February 2015
  13. ^ [2]
  14. ^ "Suchergebnisse - dynamique du client". Swissbib.ch. 3 November 2006. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
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