Ramón Areces facts for kids

Ramón Areces Rodríguez (born in La Mata (Grado), Asturias, Spain in 1904 – died in Madrid, Spain in 1989) was a very successful Spanish businessman. He started a famous department store called El Corte Inglés.

Early Life and Travels

Moving to Cuba

When Ramón was just fifteen years old, he moved to Havana, Cuba. This was a big adventure for a young person! In Havana, he started working at a large shop called EL ENCANTO Department Store. This job taught him a lot about how businesses work and how to sell things. He learned many important skills there.

Learning New Ideas

After his time in Cuba, Ramón traveled a lot. He visited different places in the United States and Canada. During these trips, he learned new and modern ways of running a business. He saw how big stores were organized and how they served their customers. These experiences gave him many ideas for his own future business.

Starting His Own Business

A Small Tailor Shop

Ramón Areces came back to Madrid, Spain, in 1935. He decided to open his own small shop. It was a tailor shop, which means he made and sold clothes. His shop was on a street called calle Preciados.

Growing Quickly

Ramón used all the new ideas and techniques he had learned during his travels. He applied them to his small tailor shop. Because of his smart ideas, his business started to grow very quickly. It grew much more than people expected!

The First El Corte Inglés

His small shop became so successful that Ramón Areces decided to open a much bigger store. In July 1940, he opened the very first El Corte Inglés department store. This large store was also in Madrid, Spain. El Corte Inglés grew to become one of the biggest and most famous department store chains in Europe.