Gérard Mulliez

"At the back of the room, huddled near the large icons covering the paneling, some members of the Mulliez family share their sadness. Among them, Arnaud Mulliez, the boss of Auchan France, son of the founder, and Vianney Mulliez, the current president of the group, in fact the true successor to Gérard Mulliez. Arriving separately, they will also each leave on their own, without having spoken to each other. I knew the relations between the two men were cool; that day I realized how distant they are. The northern dynasty is known for its provincialism and the lack of enthusiasm of its representatives to mingle with the business elite or frequent Parisian circles. They seldom leave their predetermined Roubaix area and are seldom seen in town. To see them there, in Paris, alongside the big names of continental industry, is surprising. They, the fervent Catholics, in this Orthodox place of worship, in the midst of Russian oligarchs. It is true that Moscow has become the city in the world where the Mulliez have made the most money..."

"It was in May 2006 that Gérard Mulliez, then aged 75, handed over to Vianney, son of one of his cousins, the presidency of Auchan, which he had founded in 1961. This handover was not easy for him to accept. A shareholder in his own right to the tune of 10% of the group, viscerally attached to his company, the man is hard to manipulate. Thierry Mulliez, then president of the family council managing the collective shareholding, who negotiated the founder's succession, knows this very well."

"In 2011, while the robin-redbreast emblem celebrates its half-century of existence, Gérard Mulliez blows out his 80 candles. Convinced he will live until he is 130, he claims longevity."