Who is Juan Roig, the richest man in Valencia?

Yes, and it's not close: Juan Roig, the boss of Mercadona, is the biggest personal fortune in Valencia and in the whole Comunitat Valenciana. According to the November 2025 Forbes España ranking, he sits 4th nationally with 7.9 billion euros; Forbes.com's real-time tracker put him at 8.9 billion dollars as of 23 July 2026. A portrait of a discreet man at the head of a company that is part of everyday life for Spaniards.

Who is Juan Roig, before Mercadona?

A child of Valencia's Huerta, born into a family already in trade. Juan Roig Alfonso was born on 8 October 1949 in Valencia, son of Francisco Roig Ballester, nicknamed "Paco, el porquero," and Trinidad Alfonso Mocholí. His father ran Cárnicas Roig, a meat production and sales business based in La Pobla de Farnals, Valencia province. Juan is one of seven children: his siblings are Francisco (now president of Valencia CF), Fernando (owner of ceramics group Pamesa and president of Villarreal CF), Trinidad, Amparo, plus Vicente and Alfonso. According to The Objective, a line from his father marked his childhood: to reap, you must first sow, and to sow, you must sweat (paraphrased from French-language coverage, original Spanish wording not verified).

What was his schooling and university path?

A path through Valencian religious education, without particular academic distinction. Juan Roig first studied at the Colegio San José, run by Jesuits in Valencia, then boarded at the Colegio de la Concepción, run by Franciscans in Ontinyent. According to The Objective, he did not stand out for his grades, but for his personal discipline. He went on to the Universidad de Valencia, earning a degree in Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales (economics and business) in 1973. It was at university that he met Hortensia Herrero, whom he married the same year. He later rounded out his training with an executive development programme at IESE Business School.

What are his hobbies?

Little is known, as Juan Roig is famed for his extreme media discretion: he very rarely gives personal interviews. His documented adult pastimes centre on sport: he plays padel, and his link to basketball is direct, as he is the main shareholder of Valencia Basket Club. He also founded the Fundación Trinidad Alfonso, named after his mother, which has invested 113 million euros over twelve years in Valencian sport (the Valencia marathon and half-marathon, youth programmes). On his childhood friends or youthful hobbies, however, no verified information is publicly available, in keeping with the image of a businessman who has always kept his private life private.

What advice does he give entrepreneurs?

A great deal, through Lanzadera, the start-up accelerator he founded in Valencia. Over five years, Juan Roig has invested more than 20 million euros there and backed more than 190 companies, according to Dircomfidencial. He regularly sums up his philosophy there: shared success goes further and tastes better; knowledge and money make you happy if you share them (paraphrased from French-language coverage, original Spanish wording not verified). On innovation, he stresses taking risks: a business has to solve an existing need or problem in a different way, in short, to innovate, and doing something new means daring to go against the current (paraphrased, same caveat). On mentorship, which he says he received himself early in his career: in life there are figures who help you move forward, who give you that necessary push when you're starting out, and he had them too, and he believes part of success is realising you're in a position to help others (paraphrased, same caveat).

Who are his close contacts in business?

Juan Roig is known for his extreme discretion: no personal friends or celebrities are publicly linked to him. His documented circle remains professional and institutional: he has chaired the Instituto de la Empresa Familiar, and runs, through Lanzadera, a large network of entrepreneurs he advises directly. Mercadona has also made donations to several foundations, including FAES (a think tank close to the Partido Popular) in 2005 and 2012, and Mujeres por África, according to Dircomfidencial.

Where does Juan Roig's fortune come from?

From Mercadona, the supermarket chain he bought in 1981 with his siblings and his wife Hortensia Herrero. The chain now has around 1,700 stores in Spain and Portugal. Juan Roig is its chairman and majority shareholder, with around 50.66% of the capital, according to Forbes.

How much is Juan Roig worth today, and how has that changed?

His fortune has nearly doubled in two years, according to successive Forbes España rankings.

These last two figures are not directly comparable: the Forbes España ranking is annual and in euros, while the Forbes.com Real-Time Billionaires Index is updated continuously and in dollars. Both, however, confirm the same trend: a fortune that has risen sharply in recent years.

What is the link between Juan Roig and Valencia?

Mercadona's headquarters is in Valencia, where most of the group's leadership is based. Juan Roig is also the main shareholder of Valencia Basket Club, the city's basketball club. His family remains closely identified with the Comunitat Valenciana, despite his empire's national scale.

Who else in his family ranks among the region's biggest fortunes?

Two people close to Juan Roig also appear in the Forbes rankings. His wife, Hortensia Herrero, holds around 27.71% of Mercadona and is its vice-chair: Forbes España estimated her at 4.4 billion euros in November 2025, the 7th largest fortune in Spain. She also chairs the Fundación Hortensia Herrero, active in cultural and artistic patronage in Valencia.

His brother, Fernando Roig, a Mercadona shareholder with around 9% (the group's 3rd-largest shareholder), owns the Pamesa ceramics group and chairs Villarreal CF, the football club based in Villarreal, Castellón province. Forbes España estimated him at 2.1 billion euros in November 2025, the 15th largest fortune in Spain.

Frequently asked questions

What is Juan Roig's fortune?
7.9 billion euros according to Forbes España (November 2025), and 8.9 billion dollars according to Forbes.com's real-time tracker as of 23 July 2026.

How did Juan Roig make his fortune?
By buying and growing Mercadona, the supermarket chain he runs and where he is majority shareholder (around 50.66% of the capital).

Is Juan Roig the richest person in Valencia?
Yes, by far. He is also the 4th richest person in Spain according to the November 2025 Forbes España ranking.

Does Juan Roig own a sports club?
Yes, he is the main shareholder of Valencia Basket Club.

Where did Juan Roig study?

At the Colegio San José then the Colegio de la Concepción in Ontinyent, before a degree in economics at the Universidad de Valencia (1973) and an executive development programme at IESE Business School.

How did Juan Roig meet Hortensia Herrero?

At university, where they were both students. They married in 1973, the same year as his degree.

Sources (facts cross-checked and rewritten, never copied): Forbes.com (Juan Roig profile, real time, accessed 23 July 2026); Forbes España, November 2023, 2024 and 2025 rankings, relayed by El Español, 7 Televalencia, OKDiario and COPE; The Objective (childhood and family, article of 8 March 2026); Universitat Politècnica de València (official biography, honorary doctorate 2007); Fundación Trinidad Alfonso (investment in Valencian sport). Photo: Junta Informa (Flickr), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 licence, taken in 2013 during a visit to a Mercadona logistics platform in Guadix.

Facts verified on 23 July 2026. An estimated fortune changes continuously, including in real time on Forbes.com: check the source date before citing a figure. This article was prepared with AI assistance, then cross-checked, verified and edited by our editorial team, who take full editorial responsibility for it.