This year El Corte Inglés celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Club del Gourmet with a battery of initiatives to commemorate the creation of a differential and unique concept that has made it a benchmark for haute cuisine. Throughout these years it has partnered with nearly 1,000 prestigious national and international suppliers to offer the more than 4,000 products it currently has. Among the actions proposed as a tribute to these 40 years, agreements with suppliers and special editions of the most iconic products of its commercial offer are included.
Tour through its history
The origins of Club del Gourmet started at Christmas 1982, in a small space of 120 square meters that was located on the men’s floor of El Corte Inglés in Castellana. On this surface there was a select delicatessen, a selection of groceries, a specialized confectionery, a wine cellar with the best selection of wines and a small bar, where customers could have a drink and rest after making their purchases.
In its beginnings, Club del Gourmet was focused on a client avid for gastronomic novelties, and it was a space where those specific, select and limited production products could be found. And, above all, the one who went to choose that special gift with which to give to family and friends. For this reason, and since its inception, the Club del Gourmet brand has been closely linked to the gift-giving gesture. The fact that it is at Christmas when this concept arises strengthens this relationship and places it as a center of reference in the world of gastronomic gifts.
The Club del Gourmet winery stood out from the beginning for its select offer, which brought together the best national and international wines and spirits. Already in its beginnings, it had a small selection of items that it marketed under its own brand. Of those first initial products, such as nougats and asparagus, there are currently more than 400 proposals under their own label.
Throughout these 40 years, Club del Gourmet has undergone different image changes, adapting to current trends, always with a focus on excellence and variety, and with a strict and careful selection of haute cuisine products. . During this time, it has captured the interest of a cosmopolitan client, interested in discovering high-quality, original, authentic proposals and limited productions.
After the success of the model, in the early 1990s the company decided to launch a broad expansion plan, which culminated in the 67 Gourmet Clubs that currently exist between Spain and Portugal (a figure that includes 9 Gourmet Experiences). The concept included a bar integrated into the same space, in which, in addition to being able to taste the brand’s specialties, it allowed the enjoyment of any gastronomic product found in the store.
Gourmet Experience
In 2009, the first Gourmet Experience concept was created in the Goya El Corte Inglés center (Madrid), which combines the existing model of shop and bar with the contribution of prestigious chefs in the field of catering. This will be followed by those in Alicante, Castellana, Callao, Seville, Marbella, Las Palmas, Málaga and Lisbon, all of which have become a benchmark for haute cuisine and for which El Corte Inglés has had unique proposals. chefs such as Dabiz Muñoz, Roberto Ruiz, Jordi Roca, José Avillez…
Over the last few years, Club del Gourmet has developed exclusive products in collaboration with renowned chefs such as Jordi Roca, Dabiz Muñoz, or Roberto Ruiz, such as sauces, preserves and snacks, nougats, chocolates, roscones de reyes…
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