What is Bernardo Caprotti's Net Worth?
Bernardo Caprotti is an Italian entrepreneur who has a net worth of $2.4 billion. Mr. Caprotti entered billionaire rankings this year as Esselunga's owner. It's a privately-held company that is considered the third largest grocery store in Italy. It was back in 1957 that Bernardo Caprotti started the business together with Nelson Rockefeller, the future vice-president of the United States. But once he found out that Nelson plans to build Italian supermarkets with some of his rivals, Caprotti offered him a larger share just to go into business with him. They used a garage in the center of Milan to open the first supermarket in the country. By 1964, Capriotti held 16 supermarkets in three Italian cities.
The company has since continued to spread in northern Italy and it said to generate revenues of $9.2 billion (6.8 billion euros) in total. A long-time businessman, Bernardo Caprotti even penned a book in 2007 in which he complained about corruption between rival Coop Italia and local politicians. Subsequently, he had to pay a fine of $400,000 (300,000 euros) for the statements in the book. In 2005, he gave 92% of his stake in Esselunga to his two children, leaving just 8% for himself. However, he had a change of heart six years later and took back the 92% stake. Even though his children sued, he won. The old man often writes snarky letters to editors after being criticized in the Italian media.
