Biography
The chief executive of Mexican retail giant El Puerto de Liverpool, Guichard is transforming the department store chain into a regional Latin American player.
The group has a string of acquisitions in the Latin American region, including the Central American retailer Regal Forest in 2010, and the Chilean department store chain Ripley in 2015. April 2017 saw the company purchase clothing chain Suburbia, which operates about 120 stores, from Walmart Mexico.
Guichard began his career as manager in the banking group Invex Controller in 1991. The entrepreneur also led the development of fabric distribution company M Lambert.
He joined El Puerto de Liverpool, the mid-to-high end retailer which operates the largest chain of department stores in Mexico, in 2000 as director of the commercial division. Upon becoming chief executive in 2015, he began a more aggressive expansion strategy which would include acquisitions abroad and in new markets, to raise its profile against competitors such as El Palacio de Hierro.
Guichard has recently announced the group would invest $320 million to add 11 more department store branches to the already significant Liverpool portfolio.