Juan Roig made it clear yesterday that he has no intention of emulating Rafael del Pino and Ferrovial, a company that has moved its headquarters to the Netherlands: “Mercadona is in Valencia and it will continue here for many years,” he replied, to then point out that “what I would like is for Ferrovial to come to Valencia, and also Google, and the Ford headquarters”.
The president of Mercadona avoided any statement of confrontation with politicians, especially from Podemos, who have charged against him, calling him a “ruthless capitalist.” “I respect your opinion but I do not share it” he limited himself to saying in the presentation of the results of Mercadona, a firm that employs 99,000 people.
Just yesterday, the president of the company once again received criticism from the minister Ione Belarra and the Valencian vice president, Hèctor Illueca, both from Podemos. Illueca was especially critical when assuring in a tweet that “on the same day that a historic increase in the price of food is announced, Mercadona is puffing up its profits, which have increased by 5%.” In addition, he added: “Having benefits is not bad,” said Juan Roig, whose fortune exceeds 3,000 million euros…
But Juan Roig did comment that “if we want to create wealth it is by providing a good breeding ground for businessmen, we have to see them as a friend of society.” And he added: “Let’s favor the businessman to the maximum, without subsidies, let it be clear, the majority are good businessmen and there may be bad ones, just as there are bad workers or bad politicians.” The leader of Mercadona has not hidden in any public appearance his opinion about the lack of recognition that businessmen have in Spain.
This concern became evident before the press conference formally began with the reflection he offered on the benefits of companies. “Having benefits is a very good thing, although in Spain it seems that we don’t want to share it if we are doing well. But the objective of a company for me is not to maximize profits, it is to maximize the benefit for everyone at the same time: the bosses (the customers), workers, supplier, society and capital”.
He reasoned that if there is no benefit, “you cannot reinvest, maintain a company or update your assets, you have to convey this message to society.” And he concluded that “benefits are essential, and the more benefits there are, the better the other components work and the more contribution will be made to society.”
Along these lines, he once again highlighted what for him is the “pride of being an entrepreneur.” And he insisted that “businessmen, managers and workers are the ones who generate wealth in a country; the well-being of society will depend on the number of honest businessmen there are.”
The businessman thanked his staff for the effort made during the year – “we have left our skin, the 99,000 workers” – and pointed out that this year has been a historic contribution by Mercadona to the public coffers of Spain and Portugal, with 2,263 million euros, 12% more. “It’s the pride of paying taxes, it’s the same as earning money,” he added.
