Alejandro Martí dies: he was the founder of Martí stores and suffered the kidnapping of his son

Entrepreneur and founder of marti storesbusinessman Alejandro Marti, passed away at 73 years of age.

Martí was also a founder of the organization Mexico SOS and suffered the kidnapping and murder of his son Fernando Marti. So far the cause of his death has not been confirmed. One of his last posts on his social networks was to express his condolences for the death of Ricardo Rocha.

Who was Alejandro Martí?

The story of businessman Alejandro Martí began in the Olympic Games of Mexico of 1968, when he started selling items in the Olympic Village. The first Martí stores were opened at the end of the 1960s in different locations in Mexico City, such as Plaza Universidad and Plaza Satélite.

At the beginning of the 1990s, Alejandro Martí diversified his business and opened his first sports club known as Sport City Eureka; apart from auction or outlet stores. For the year 2007, it made a business alliance with Sports Emotionone of the largest race organizers in Mexico.

At the end of 2007, Alejandro Martí accepted the takeover bid (OPA), carried out by Alfredo Harp Helu and thus acquire 100 percent of Martí; the operation was for 6 thousand 067 million pesos. Despite this, Martí remained one of the main shareholders of the sports store chain.

How was the kidnapping and murder of your son?

One of the episodes that marked the life of Alejandro Martí was the kidnapping of his son Fernando, which occurred on June 4, 2008 and when the 14-year-old teenager was transported to school. On July 31 of that same year, the CDMX authorities found his body in the trunk of an abandoned car with a report of theft in Villa Panamericana.

On July 12, the Martí family paid 5 million 135 thousand pesos that the kidnappers requested as part of the ransom, but Fernando was not delivered or presented alive. Jorge Palma Lemus, driver of the Martí Haik, was also murdered and abandoned in the then Coyoacán delegation.

In August 2008, the then president Felipe Calderon held a meeting in the Treasury Room of the National Palace, where Alejandro Martí was present and whose objective was to discuss the progress of the case. “If you can’t, quit”were the words he addressed to the then president and the capital government headed by Marcelo Ebrard.

As a result of these events, the businessman undertook a facet as an activist and founded the organization México SOS in November 2008, which sought improvements for society by modernizing and professionalizing the judicial system, from implementing the new criminal justice system and the modification to General Law of Victims.

“Sometimes I feel frustrated, but I want to avoid having another Fernando and that there are families that suffer like mine,” said Alejandro Martí, about the work of Mexico SOS in 2018.

Despite the fact that the capital and federal authorities arrested the members of a criminal gang known as ‘La Flor’, responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Fernando Martí Haik, it was not until November 2021 that they obtained a conviction of 542 years in prison against one of those responsible.

Other achievements attributed to México SOS, an organization implemented by Alejandro Martí, was the establishment of the number 911 to deal with emergencies and Geolocation Lawwhich was approved by the Chamber of Deputies in 2012. “Mexico’s problem is the rush to do everything new,” the businessman declared.