The entrepreneur Ángel Losada Gómez, founder of Grupo Gigante, recounted his experience after being kidnapped for 102 days. Losada was deprived of his freedom in 1994 by a group of 8 people, who gagged him and kept him chained to the wall. During his captivity, Losada took the opportunity to listen to commercials from Gigante and its competitors, read the Bible, and exercise. He even requested a book from his captors. After his release, Losada explained that he went on a trip with his family as part of his recovery process.
Losada's kidnapping, who was vice president of Grupo Gigante at the time, was a traumatic episode for both him and his family. During that time, he worried about his children, who were very small at the time. Losada recalled that, despite the circumstances, he tried to remain calm and establish some communication with his captors, even asking them to change the radio station or provide him with a television to watch soccer matches.
After his release, Grupo Gigante continued to expand into different sectors, such as restaurants, real estate, and specialized trade. In 2013, they fully acquired Office Depot from Mexico and established prominent alliances in the industry. The diversification efforts led the company to venture into new business areas, such as parking operations, under the SET brand, and the creation of Tiendas Súper Precio in 2004.
Today, Grupo Gigante stands out as one of the most diversified business conglomerates in Mexico, with brands such as Toks Restaurants, Radio Shack, and Taquerías El Farolito, as well as strategic alliances with PetCo and other entities. But its history is marked by the difficult chapter of Ángel Losada's kidnapping, an episode that led him to reflect on life and the value of freedom.
