The Spanish retailer has grown to be one of the largest department store chains in Europe. Founded in 1940 by Ramón Areces Rodríguez and César Rodríguez, the company has expanded its business segments to include supermarkets, insurance, travel and convenience stores.
El Corte Ingles Sa’s early beginnings trace back to 1935 when Ramón Rodríguez bought a tailor shop that had been founded in 1890, called El Corte Inglés. A new property was secured in 1939 where Rodríguez adopted an innovative retailing layout and officially formed the company a year later with his uncle. The company expanded nationally during the 1960s, opening locations in Barcelona, Seville and Bilbao, as well as Madrid. In 1966 Ramón Areces assumed the position of company Chairman after the death of his uncle, César Rodríguez.
Throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s, the company extended its product offerings while increasing its retail locations, eventually opening a hypermarket in 1972. El Corte Ingles expanded internationally in 2001 with its location in Lisbon, Portugal. In 2017, the company merged with restaurant and food retailer Hipercor. Today, El Corte Ingles Sa operates through its 8 divisions: El Corte Inglés, Hipercor hypermarkets, Bricor, Supercor, Viajes El Corte Inglés (Travel), Óptica 2000, Sfera and Grupo de Seguros (Insurance).
- Family name: Areces and Alvarez families
- Sector: Consumer Products & Retail
- Founded: 1940
- Founder: Ramón Areces Rodríguez and César Rodríguez
- Country: Spain
- Company headquarters: Madrid
- Managers:
- Revenue: 16.5
- Rankings:
- Family ownership:
- Employees: 80,930
- Website: elcorteingles.com
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