Gérard Mulliez
French businessman (born 1931)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gérard Paul Louis Marie-Joseph Mulliez (born 13 May 1931) is a French entrepreneur and the founder of the Auchan chain of department stores.
Gérard Mulliez | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 May 1931 Roubaix, France |
| Known for | Founder, Auchan |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Michel Leclercq (cousin) |
Early life
Gérard Mulliez was born on 13 May 1931, in Roubaix, France. His father, Gérard Mulliez, was the owner of Phildar, a knitting yarn brand founded by his grandfather, Louis Mulliez-Lestienne.[1][2] His uncle, Louis Mulliez, was the owner of the Saint-Liévin factory in Lille.[1] Gérard Mulliez has five siblings.[1]
Mulliez reportedly had bad grades in school.[1] He spent a year in England, where he learned to play rugby and pool and learned to speak English.[1] Despite his efforts, he failed his Baccalaureate.[1][2]
Career
Mulliez started his career working for his father's company, gradually working his way up until he became its chairman.[1][2]
In 1961, at the age of twenty-nine, after being inspired by department stores during a trip to the US, he opened his first Auchan store in Roubaix, France.[3] He retired as chairman in 1996 and as CEO in 2006, handing over control to his nephew, Vianney Mulliez.[3]
His holding Association Familiale Mulliez (AFM) controls Auchan[4] as well as a diverse mix of other retail chains such as Leroy Merlin, Decathlon,[5] Saint Maclou, Kiloutou, Kiabi, Flunch, etc.[6] It is co-owned between a thousand family members.[6] Six hundred of his cousins are millionaires as a result.[2]
In 2004, he was the recipient of the Légion d'honneur.[7]
In 2022, retailers founded or part-owned by Gérard Mulliez, including Auchan, Decathlon, and Leroy Merlin, face criticism for refusing to pull out from the Russian market as a result of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine[8] and even supporting the invasion through its Russian subsidiary.[9]
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[10] making him the first richest person in France.[6][11][12] According to Capital, the Mulliez family was the richest family in France in 2014.[13] According to Hurun Report, he is 18th richest person in the world with a net worth of US$30 billion.[14] Some of his family members reside in Néchin, Belgium.[1][2]
He has revealed that he has also spent less than he earns,[15] and reinvests most of his earnings.[1] He added that most of his wealth is tied up in family shares, and he would not be able to spend much of it.[1] 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.[1]
On 21 February 2015, he paid a personal visit to the youth wing of the French Communist Party in Lille to protest about a poster accusing him of profiting from the financial crisis, as he got richer while his employees saw their spending power diminish.[11][16] 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.[11][16]
Personal life
Mulliez and his wife have three children. They reside in Croix near Lille and own another house in the South of France.[1] They are practising Roman Catholics.[1] He enjoys spending his weekends biking and hiking in the countryside.[1]
Bibliography
- La Dynamique du client, Richard C. Whiteley and Gérard Mulliez, interview with Jean-Pierre Thiollet, Maxima, 1994[17] and 1997.[18]