Francisco Grandella, a businessman in love: his story.

Related: What to do at Foz do Arelho

Francisco Grandella, the man

“Francisco Grandella: love at first sight” could be the title of a film, a book or a novel, starring one of Portugal’s most successful businessmen, whose great passion was our municipality, and in particular the village of Foz do Arelho.

Francisco Grandella was born in Aveiras de Cima, Azambuja, on 23 July 1853, the son of Dr. Grandella and Matilde Libânia. He had four sisters and three brothers.

Francisco Grandella: the beginning

He entered the world of business early. While still a student, his father sent him to replace his sick older brother as a shop clerk on Rua dos Fanqueiros, in downtown Lisbon. He worked there for three years before returning to Aveiras de Cima to resume his studies.

Grandella returned to Lisbon in the 1870s, again to work in commerce, a few doors down on the same Rua dos Fanqueiros, in the Baixa Pombalina, where he stayed until the end of the decade, when he resigned.

A conversation with a friend convinced him to start his own business, and soon he was handing out cards for Grandella & Cia and advertising the opening of the Fazendas Baratas shop on Rua da Prata.

Determined and confident in his ideas and methods, his motto was “always on the right path, keep going”. After introducing innovations in advertising, in the way payments were handled and even in how a shop should be laid out, he opened A Loja do Povo, followed by Novo Mundo. Looking for space for something on a larger scale, offering a whole range of goods and services in a single block, he created the Grandella Warehouses.

Where the Grandella Warehouses stood

This landmark of Portuguese retail stood on Rua do Ouro and was later extended through to Rua do Carmo, in a building that was a monument in its own right and a symbol of Grandella’s ability and success.

Practical and shrewd, he introduced novelties such as home delivery and mail-order catalogues. This bold move paid off handsomely, as it allowed people to shop at the Grandella department store without going there, or even visiting Lisbon.

Customers loved the convenience, and little by little the whole country was “Grandella-ised”, with advertisements and references to Grandella and his store everywhere.

Even Bordalo Pinheiro

In 1891, Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro even wrote a hymn, to be sung in chorus, in praise of Francisco Grandella and his work.

Grandella’s innovations set him apart and proved his vision and pioneering spirit. As the saying goes, fortune favours the bold… but, as Grandella might have added, luck also takes a lot of hard work.

As his empire grew, and however successful he became, Grandella was never satisfied, and he always believed that the success of his business depended on the wellbeing of everyone who worked for him.

This generous, philanthropic attitude made him one of the most committed champions of popular education. He built the Bairro Grandella housing estate in São Domingos de Benfica for his employees’ families and supported the “mobile schools” that took teaching to parts of the country with no schools, at a time when illiteracy rates were shockingly high.

Later he even funded the building of schools, one of his greatest legacies in the municipality of Caldas da Rainha.

Grandella’s great passion for Caldas da Rainha and Foz do Arelho

In the late 1890s Grandella began visiting the spa in Caldas, reportedly to recover from a broken leg. That was when he discovered Foz do Arelho and fell head over heels in love with it. He was certainly not the first, nor the last, to fall for Foz in this way!

His passion for Foz do Arelho was so strong that he soon decided to invest there, starting with his holiday home, the Grandella Palace (1898–1907), which enjoys one of the most beautiful views in Foz do Arelho. Today the palace is home to INATEL.

He promoted the area with photographs in the magazines he published (Passatempo and A Cidade e os Campos) and invested directly in local development, building schools such as Bernardino Machado in Foz do Arelho (1910) and França Borges in Nadadouro (1912), as well as the Casa do Povo in Foz do Arelho (1912), fine examples of his philanthropy.

He became one of the village’s greatest promoters and patrons. He even dreamed of creating a “Venice in Foz”, an ambition that never came true but shows how much he wanted the village to grow. The main street of Foz do Arelho, Rua Francisco Almeida Grandella, is named after him.

Grandella’s mark on Caldas da Rainha

In Caldas da Rainha, besides the social standing that a man of his status brought, he planned, and even advertised in the local press, a branch of the Grandella department store. The project never went ahead, because his competitors, the Armazéns do Chiado, opened a branch on Praça da República in 1914, in the building that now houses the Millennium BCP bank.

Politically, at a time when the Republic had replaced the monarchy, Grandella was an active member of the Miguel Bombarda Republican Centre in Caldas da Rainha, as president of its general assembly, and his closeness to the government should not be underestimated.

It is true that Grandella did not leave as many works in Caldas as Rodrigo Berquó or Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, but the presence of such an important figure did not go unnoticed.

Foz do Arelho owes him a great deal. He is said to have been the first outsider to build a house there, and that building is now an icon of local heritage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Francisco Grandella?

A businessman born in Aveiras de Cima in 1853, founder of the Grandella Warehouses in Lisbon and one of the great promoters of Foz do Arelho.

What is the Grandella Palace?

The holiday home he built in Foz do Arelho between 1898 and 1907, with one of the finest views in the village. Today it houses INATEL.

What did Grandella leave in the area?

He funded the Bernardino Machado school in Foz do Arelho (1910), the França Borges school in Nadadouro (1912) and the Casa do Povo in Foz do Arelho (1912). The main street of Foz do Arelho bears his name.

More history of Caldas da Rainha

• Queen Leonor, the founder
• King Carlos I and Caldas da Rainha
• Rodrigo Berquó, the man of the waters
• José Malhoa, the naturalist painter
• Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro in Caldas da Rainha
• Caldas da Rainha ceramics

This article was put together by the GoCaldas team, the local travel guide to Caldas da Rainha.