The Caprotti family is behind the successful Italian supermarket chain, Esselunga. Its patriarch, Bernardo Caprotti, founded the company in Milan in 1957 with financial support from Nelson Rockefeller. Caprotti’s rival at the time was working with the Rockefeller family to start the chain, but he contacted them spontaneously and offered a better deal. Caprotti turned a small garage into his first supermarket with that money, citing decades later that he was up against rival, Coop Italia, and their collusion with local politicians. Shortly after opening his first supermarket, he expanded the company rapidly.
The company’s success was due in no small part to Caprotti’s larger-than-life personality and his exceptional marketing prowess. His rivalry ended with Coop Italia when he died, but his disdain for them, which can be seen in his book Falce e Carrello, landed him with a six-month defamation sentence.
Caprotti battled not only his competition but also his family regularly. In his final years, he bequeathed 92 per cent of his company to his two sons from his first marriage. However, soon after, he rescinded the bequeathment and took it to court, ultimately winning back his money. He then bequeathed his Esselunga fortune to his wife, daughter and secretary.
His daughter, Marina, is now head of the company and is leading it into the next generation, with her mother as honorary president.
