Hortensia Herrero Net Worth

Hortensia Herrero has an estimated net worth of $6.3 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Hortensia Herrero profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $1.8 billion in 2019.

Hortensia Herrero is a Spanish businesswoman best known for her long role at Mercadona, a major supermarket chain in Spain. She owns nearly 28% of the company and serves as vice president. Her path to wealth is closely tied to Mercadona’s growth over time. She studied economics at the University of Valencia, where she met Juan Roig. Together, they became part of the group that took over the business from Roig’s father in 1981.

Mercadona started small when that 1981 deal happened, with 8 stores, and Herrero was there as the company began to expand. Since 1990, she and her husband have held 80% of the shares, according to the background details. Outside retail, she leads the Hortensia Herrero Foundation, created in 2012 in Valencia. The foundation supports art and culture, and her contemporary art collection later led to the Hortensia Herrero Art Centre in Valencia.

How Hortensia Herrero built her wealth

Herrero’s fortune comes mainly from her stake in Mercadona. Forbes says she owns nearly 28% of the Spanish supermarket chain and helped build it with Juan Roig. She was part of the group that bought the company in 1981 from Roig’s father, when Mercadona had 8 small stores. She also serves as vice president, giving her a central role in a business that became the base of her wealth.

Her public work outside supermarkets centers on art and culture, not a separate business empire in the material here. She is president of the Hortensia Herrero Foundation, which has promoted interest in art and culture since 2012 through different projects. Forbes also notes that she is one of Spain’s leading art collectors. Her collection helped lead to the Hortensia Herrero Art Centre in Valencia, where she lives.

Forbes net worth updates

Forbes has raised its estimate of Herrero’s wealth sharply over time, though not in a straight line. It put her at $1.8 billion in 2019, then $2.3 billion in 2020 and $2.6 billion in 2021. The estimate later moved down to $2.2 billion in 2022 and $2.1 billion in 2023, before climbing again to $3.2 billion in 2024 and $3.6 billion in 2025.

As of October 20, 2026, Forbes' real-time billionaires tracker placed Herrero at $6.3 billion. The basic driver named by Forbes is her ownership in Mercadona, where she remains a major shareholder and vice president. Forbes also notes her wider footprint in Valencia through the foundation and restoration work, including at least $10 million spent to restore historic parts of the city.