Tributes have been paid to Isak Andic, the entrepreneurial and inspirational founding father of Mango, following his premature demise in a mountain climbing accident on the weekend.
Andic, aged 71, remained non-executive chairman of the fast-growing Spanish vogue retailer and had been “an instance to us all”, in response to Mango CEO Toni Ruiz.
Ruiz mentioned your complete Mango household was in mourning following the surprising demise. “He devoted his life to Mango, leaving an indelible mark because of his strategic imaginative and prescient, his inspiring management and his unwavering dedication to values that he himself imbued in our firm. His legacy displays the achievements of a enterprise undertaking marked by success, and in addition by his human high quality, his proximity and the care and affection that he at all times had and always conveyed to your complete organisation,” Ruiz mentioned.
“His departure leaves an enormous void however all of us are, indirectly, his legacy and the testimony of his achievements. It’s as much as us, and that is the very best tribute we are able to make to Isak and which we’ll fulfill, to make sure that Mango continues to be the undertaking that Isak aspired to and of which he would really feel proud.”
Andic was one in all Spain’s most profitable businessmen and his wealth is alleged to have been price round £3.5 billion on the time of his passing. He was born in Istanbul in 1953 and arrived in Barcelona together with his Sephardic Jewish household in 1969.
His profession started promoting t-shirts and clogs together with his brother Nahman and the primary pair, together with fellow entrepreneur Enric Cusí, opened the primary Mango retailer (named after the fruit following a visit Andic had taken to the Philippines) in Barcelona in 1984. At this time the corporate is a world powerhouse and within the first six months of its present monetary yr posted file gross sales of £1.3 billion and boasts 2,743 shops, It creates collections for males, ladies, kids and teenagers that are designed at its headquarters in Barcelona and lately loved success with a high-profile collaboration with British designer Victoria Beckham.
The UK, wherein Mango first arrived in 1999, is a very robust marketplace for Mango and is the goal of growth for the model. Its first worldwide Mango Teen retailer was opened in London this yr and it has been quickly rolling out Mango shops on this market with 60 now in operation.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez paid tribute in an announcement saying: “My condolences to the household of Isak Andic, the founding father of Mango, after his tragic demise in an accident,” including that he “turned this Spanish agency right into a world chief in vogue”.
The pinnacle of Catalonia’s regional authorities, Salvador Illa, hailed Andic as “a cmmitted businessman who, together with his management, has contributed to creating Catalonia nice and projecting it to the world”.
