Inditex and Mercadona shake hands

Herrecha Inversiones, the holding company owned by Mercadona vice-president Hortensia Herrero, has become a shareholder in Galician Grupo Malasa, a company based in Cerceda (La Coruña) that manufactures custom-made furniture in Spain and Europe and one of Inditex’s suppliers, following the departure of co-founder Antonio Pérez Patiño and the investment fund GPF.

The company was founded by brothers Javier and Antonio Pérez Patiño 30 years ago as a small hardware store located on Cuesta de la Tapia in Cambrai (A Coruña), which has grown “successfully” until it now has a “large portfolio” of clients, including renowned multinationals in the retail and hospitality sectors, according to Marina de Empresas in a statement. Its headquarters are currently in the municipality of Cerceda in A Coruña.

In 2018, as the company grew, the family owners sold a minority stake to investment fund GPF, which has just sold its stake after six years of a “very fruitful” business relationship.

This change in the capital of the A Coruña multinational also coincided with the departure of the eldest of the brothers, Antonio, who will dedicate himself to activities outside the company in a new professional role.

In this scenario, Herrecha Inversiones acts as the new business partner with a minority stake of 30%, while the majority stake is held by Javier Pérez Patiño. Javier Pérez will remain at the helm of the operations and decision-making of Grupo Malasa, together with the new generation of the family, thus implementing the changes that have taken place in recent years.

The company guarantees that for its more than 1,000 employees located between Spain and Mexico and its more than 90 customers, the change of shareholders “will not mean any change in the activity, which will continue to be carried out in the same way as it has been for the last 30 years.”

With this new configuration, the business group “is looking for new challenges and strengthening the growth they have experienced in recent years with Herrecha Inversiones”, while expressing “deep gratitude” to the figure of Antonio Pérez and GPF.