Balance after a year in the stock market: Reflections and future Francisco...
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Founders
The founders of the family business conglomerate that today is Grupo Alfil and whose most relevant company is Alfil Patrimonial Socimi SA are Francisco Gómez Reyes and María Isabel Palma Sánchez.
Francisco Gómez Reyes was born in Marbella, on May 2, 1925, in the house of the Villa Palma estate, which over the years would become Villa Mª Ángeles (house that belonged to Jesús Gil) next to the current Pirulí. This farm was destined to the cultivation of muscatel grapes, like the rest of the farms that his father D. Manuel Gómez Beltrán exploited, (- the phrase does not come from continuation) fruit was exported mainly in the form of raisins. As a young boy, the family moved to the farm La Caridad, owned by his father, where he was surprised by the Civil War. Due to a temporary illness of his father, he began working at the age of 11 and did not stop until he left for military service. On his return, in 1946, he set up an agricultural machinery rental business.
María Isabel Palma Sánchez was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to a family from Marbella who moved to Brazil and Argentina for professional reasons. When she was 6 years old, the family returned to Marbella, where her father worked as a municipal secretary until he was shot during the Civil War.
1950
The Foundations of Our History
Francisco Gómez Reyes and María Isabel Palma Sánchez married on December 4, 1952. As a result of this marriage, 7 children, 21 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren were born. It was at this time when the first family business was created. Francisco Gómez Reyes is the main support and drive of the company and María Isabel Palma Sánchez is the fundamental pillar of the family. Two very important and complementary facets.
In 1953 he opened the first mechanical carpentry shop in the city together with Juan Duarte, and also opened the International Garage.
In 1955 he buys from Mr. Ricardo Soriano, Marqués de Ivanrey, the building where he later inaugurates the Cine Lid (later Cine Alameda) with a winter and a summer cinema. That same year he created a road construction company with which he built the Benahavís road, among others. At that time there was a shortage of dynamite, something important for the construction of roads in certain orographies. The skill and drive of Francisco Gómez Reyes meant that he was able to obtain dynamite, a substance that sometimes the government was unable to obtain.
1960
Growth
In the 60's, the opening of cinemas continued, opening more than 10 cinemas on the coast during that decade. The opening of the Alfil Cinema in 1964 and the subsequent opening of the Alfil Hotel in 1966 stand out. At the end of the 60's he started two new activities, one is the correspondent of the Central Bank in Marbella and the other is his activity as a film producer, activity that would last until the 80's. During this period he produced films with José María Forqué, among others, and titles such as 'Madrid Costa Fleming'.
1970
Consolidation
In the 1970s it increased its weight in the hotel sector by incorporating the Aparthotel Milano in Fuengirola and later increased it by purchasing the Hotel Baviera in 1982. Hotel Baviera in Marbella, thus having 3 hotels.
It continues buying and opening cinemas, both along the coast and in Malaga city, opening a total of 17 cinemas in this decade of the 70s. Among these cinemas, the Cine Liceo in Marbella stands out, next to which he inaugurated his first office building. It was in the 70's when he began to get more involved in real estate development, carrying out a very important development for the time in Algeciras and acquiring the 88 hectare "La Vizcaína" estate, currently for development (it is now rustic) and still his property. In 1978 he opened Bingo Alfil, the first bingo in the city.
1980
Evolution and Industry Leadership
In the 80's, the company continued opening cinemas and began the reconversion of the film business, transforming some cinemas into multiplexes and other cinemas into bingos, reaching the point of having 4 bingos. In spite of this, it reached 42 cinemas in the provinces of Malaga, Cadiz and Cordoba. In 1981 he was awarded the Master Prize for Popularity, given to him in Algeciras by Mayra Gómez Kemp. In the same year it acquires and rents all the cinemas in Cordoba. During these years, the importance of real estate development continued to grow within the company, developing several projects in Marbella, Malaga and Algeciras. In 1986 it cedes the land where today the Parque de la Represa and the Bonsai Museum are located to the Marbella Town Hall. That same year he transformed the old Alfil Cinema into a shopping mall and multiplex cinema.
1990
Expansion
In the 1990s he focused even more on real estate development, although he continued to open multiplex cinema complexes. In 1993, the Alfil Hotel was transformed into the Alfil Building, the most modern office building in the city. It is from this moment on that the urban leasing activity develops in a more important way.
2000
New Markets
In the 2000s, the company took a new turn. Although the cinema business continued to develop, with the opening of a new complex in Fuengirola with commercial premises and a parking lot, the company moved into other fields such as urban leasing, parking lots and strengthened its position in real estate development through the acquisition of one of the oldest and most reputable developers in Malaga, Enrique Alemán, S. A. With this acquisition, which had repercussions in the salmon press through an article published in Expansión due to the importance of the operation, the company not only developed its own business, but also had the opportunity to develop its own business.A. With this acquisition, which had repercussions in the salmon press through an article published by Expansión due to the importance of the operation, the company not only has real estate development in Malaga and its province, but also in Almeria capital and Roquetas de Mar. The company's diversification strategy led it to sign a financial agent contract with Banesto, a commercial relationship that ended after three years of life, with a portfolio of more than 600 clients.
At the end of the 2000s, the company started the university housing business, allocating several dozens of apartments for rent and began the construction of a university residence. In the early 2010s the Alfil University Residence opens its doors. It is located in one of the main avenues of Teatinos, 300 meters from the University of Malaga. It has capacity for 188 students, which together with the apartments for rent for university students allows to accommodate more than 400 university students, all of them in single rooms. Currently we have (here you use the first person when all the text is in the third person) approximately 15% of the university accommodation places in Malaga. This together with other properties for rent in the center of Malaga and other parts of Malaga and Andalusia makes Grupo Alfil, through various companies has a portfolio of nearly 500 tenants.
For all these reasons, it can be said that this business group, thanks to the commercial vision and the ability to adapt, under the leadership of its founder, has been able to transform itself over time and has gone from renting agricultural machinery, a carpentry workshop, etc. to managing parking lots, hotels, urban leases, a university residence, real estate developments, etc.
2010
Social responsibility
As a sign of its business vision and social commitment, it has implemented a corporate social responsibility program within the company. As a result, and prioritizing the culture of effort and excellence, since 2013 30 scholarships are awarded to university students from Marbella every year. In addition, as a commitment to its hometown and its inhabitants, it offers a discount on the company's accommodation in the Teatinos university area to all students registered in Marbella.
2020
Cementing the future
At present, members of the third generation have already joined the company, which gives it the prospect of continuity to develop the projects in its portfolio, such as the development of a housing development with 1,200 homes, the development of urban leasing, entry into new sectors, etc.
Following the death of the founder in early 2021, the company enters a new dynamic focused on improving corporate governance. The creation of a board of directors and the incorporation of non-family managers set the company on the road to professionalization and differentiation of ownership and management.
Throughout 2022, the decision to join the Socimi regime was taken, and September 23, 2022 will be a date that will go down in history. On that day, the company formally filed a document with the Tax Agency to apply for the regime. At that moment, a new and unknown process for the company began, so the best professionals related to the process were hired. This process culminated on March 5, 2024, with the ringing of the bell at the Palacio de la Bolsa de Madrid. The bell was rung by María Isabel Palma, honorary president of the company and the oldest person to ring the bell on the Madrid stock exchange and probably in the world, at almost 99 years of age.
Alfil Patrimonial Socimi SA, a leading company in Marbella in its sector, becomes the first company founded in Marbella to be listed on the stock exchange and the first company in Spain to be listed on BME Scaleup. All this in the year that the family company turned 72 years old.
Since the listing of Alfil, the company, together with other companies in the sector, promotes the creation of the Andalusian Association of Socimi and Listed Companies (Andsocimi). As a company convinced of the importance of the associative movement, Alfil considers necessary the dissemination of such a specific matter as this and also the representation before the administration. Likewise San Telmo Business School has created a real estate chair and has offered the chairmanship of the advisory board to our president and this chair is called Alfil Real Estate Chair. A recognition to the place that Alfil occupies in the real estate sector in the province of Malaga.
The company has designed two real estate products to help provide a solution to the problem we are currently experiencing in Spain and especially in our environment and similar destinations.
2024
March 5, 2024
Bell Ringing
Corporate
Balance after a year in the stock market: Reflections and the future
Balance after a year in the stock market: Reflections and future Francisco...
Read more
Countdown to the 13th Edition of the Francisco Gómez Reyes Scholarship Program for university students.
Countdown to the 13th Edition of the Scholarship Program...
Read moreIn Media
March 10, 2025
We are very proud that the trajectory of our founder and honorary president, Doña Isabel Palma, is recognized in this article. Thank you, María Albarral, Diario SUR, for this recognition. READ +
March 5, 2024
Alfil, the first socimi to join BME Scaleup, with a value of 73.5 million. Via La Vanguardia
The socimi Alfil Patrimonial joins the BME Scaleup on March 5 with a value of 73.5 million. Via FORBES
The Alfil Patrimonial socimi receives the green light to start trading valued at 73 million. Via Idealista
BME Scaleup opens with Alfil, a Málaga-based company valued at 73.5 million. Via El Economista
Marbella places its first company on the stock exchange: its 99-year-old president rang the bell. Via El Español
Alfil Patrimonial: "Since we became a SOCIMI our internal numbers have improved, EBITDA and profit have increased". Via Investment Strategies
Grupo Alfil, the first company founded in Marbella to be listed on the stock exchange. Via Marbella 24 Hours
The Marbella company Alfil Patrimonial goes public and is presented in society. Via Marbella Confidential
The socimi Alfil debuts in BME Scaleup as the first listed company in this market. Via EJEPRIME
March 18, 2024
The business group also has the Alfil University Residence in Malaga city with 188 places, a "portal of apartments" for students in the same and the Albéniz building in the area of Teatinos, with "almost 400 university students housed" in total, as well as the leisure center 'Multicines Alfil' in Fuengirola, as highlighted by the president of the company. Via Málaga Hoy
July 2, 2022
Its president, Francisco Gómez, explains that the company is currently laying the foundations that will enable it to be alive in a hundred years' time. Via Sur Newspaper
May 2, 2023
50 students of second year of baccalaureate will be able to benefit to finance their residence in Malaga and are compatible with other types of aid. Via Diario Sur
Thursday, September 15, 2016
30 students from Marbella of the University of Malaga who are about to start the new academic year received yesterday the accommodation grants awarded by Grupo Alfil. Via Sur Newspaper
19 September, 2019
30 students from Marbella of the University of Malaga who are about to start the new course received yesterday the accommodation grants awarded by Grupo Alfil. Via Marbella Directo
Grupo Alfil awards 30 housing scholarships for university students in Marbella via Marbella Confidencial
