About El Corte Inglés

Ramón Areces Rodríguez bought a tailor shop founded in 1890, called El Corte Inglés.

A property was acquired at Calle Preciados 3, Madrid. It started a new phase, with the ground floor, first floor and part of the second floor earmarked for sales.

Ramón Areces constituted the company El Corte Inglés, with his uncle César Rodríguez as a partner and first chairman of the company.

El Corte Inglés launched the new concept of a “Gift voucher” for its Christmas campaign.

For the first time, it was announced that “It is now spring at El Corte Inglés”.

El Corte Inglés began its expansion in the 1960s and opened establishments in Barcelona, Seville and Bilbao, as well as Madrid.

Ramón Areces became the chairman of the company after the death of César Rodríguez and the El Corte Inglés purchasing card was created, a new payment concept to make it easier for its customers to make purchases.

The company Viajes El Corte Inglés was constituted offering a wide range of services, as well as organizing events, conferences and conventions.

Hipercor was created a new concept of a hypermarket with textiles, household goods, groceries, perishable goods and catering sections and Cursa El Corte Inglés, the most important race in Europe and one of the leading races in the world started in Barcelona. In 1994, it entered the Guinness Book of Records by having more than 109,000 registered participants.

The Spanish national football team starred in the advertising campaign for Emidio Tucci suits under the slogan “Championship Suits”.

Investrónica was created a company dedicated to designing, manufacturing and marketing computer products and a pioneer in developing personal computers.

Isidoro Álvarez became Chairman of the Board of El Corte Inglés following the death of Ramón Areces. Álvarez. Very knowledgeable about the business, he began his career as an employee at El Corte Inglés while doing his university degree in Economic and Business Sciences. When he was 24, he was made a director of the company and, seven years later, Managing Director. Isidoro Álvarez is the great architect of the development and expansion of the company.

El Corte Inglés acquired Galerías Preciados.

The first El Corte Inglés department store abroad was inaugurated in Lisbon (Portugal). In addition, five Carrefour hypermarkets and the nine Marks & Spencer centers in Spain were acquired.

Sfera was launched, a chain of stores specializing in fashion and accessories providing a great offer for women, men and children.

The first Bricor store opened, the chain in the group specializing in DIY and décor.

The first “Health and Beauty” space was opened at the El Corte Inglés store in Callao (Madrid) a new shopping concept dedicated to personal care and a wide range of services tailored to the customer.

The El Corte Ingles store in Paseo de la Castellana (Madrid) was expanded, offering a wide range of fashion and luxury goods, as well as exclusive areas dedicated to customer service. The first Gourmet Experience opened in Madrid, a gastronomic area that combines brands and chefs of prestige with the sale of gourmet products.

On September 14 Isidoro Álvarez died, after 25 years as chairman of El Corte Inglés. Two days later, Dimas Gimeno Álvarez was appointed Chairman of the Board of El Corte Inglés.

The Click&Express service was launched, making it possible to make purchases online and receive the order at home in less than two hours or in the time slot that the recipient chooses.

El Corte Inglés celebrated its 75th anniversary, always at the forefront as a leader in innovation, technology, customer service, guarantee, quality and specialization.

The merger of El Corte Inglés and Hipercor took place. Unique restaurants like Puertalsol and Las Nubes de Castellana were launched, along with new areas dedicated to selling organic products, such as La Biosfera.