Maria Canales

Updated Tuesday, March 19, 2024-01:40

Joe Fournier

(London, 1983) visited Madrid for the first time in 2020 on the recommendation of a friend.

He had been to Barcelona and Marbella several times, but never to the capital of Spain.

It was love at first sight, as he himself claims.

During his stay, like another tourist, this

41-year-old

multimillionaire businessman , former basketball player, professional boxer now in his free time and owner of the famous

Bonbonniere nightlife venues

, visited restaurants, attended multiple parties, drank the best wines and discovered bars, clubs and the vibrant nightlife of the city.

He was able to experience first-hand what his friends told him and he immediately knew that he had to be in Madrid and so did his business.

"It is, without a doubt, the world capital of gastronomy, around which

a spectacular nightlife universe

has been created , with fabulous nightclubs, cocktail bars and unique

dinner shows

," says the Briton.

No sooner said than done.

After the pandemic, he had a business opportunity that, in the end, did not work out, but thanks to this he began to study possibilities and investigate the world of Madrid nightlife and gastronomy in more depth.

In a matter of months he sold his house in Miami and bought

a mansion in La Latina

.

Installed there since May 2023 with his dog Duke, a six-year-old English bulldog from whom he never leaves his side and takes him on trips on his private plane wherever he goes, Fournier is already working on opening his next

Bonbonniere

project in the capital, one of the most exclusive international nightlife brands, regularly frequented by supermodels such as

Bella and Gigi Hadid

or

Kendall Jenner

and

celebrities

such as Emily Ratajkowski,

Paris Hilton

, Usher, Black Coffee,

Jamie Foxx

or Travis Scott.

The new Bonbonniere will join the existing ones in

Mykonos

(Greece), Tulum (Mexico), Sardinia (Italy) and Mexico City (its opening is scheduled in the coming months) and, as in the others, the exclusivity, elegance , good music and personal attention to detail will be part of your DNA.

Unlimited budget

At the moment, he is negotiating two locations for the new Bonbonniere Madrid, pending resolution of the licensing issue, "but we hope to be able to

open at the end of this year

or at the beginning of 2025," the British businessman, of French-Italian descent, tells METRÓPOLI. on a terrace of a hotel in the capital, while caressing his inseparable Duke who, of course, accompanied him to the interview.

"My goal is for this new project to become a benchmark for Madrid nightlife."

The nightclub will be located in an emblematic and iconic spot in the capital, "like the venues in Tulum, Mykonos and Sardinia, which are in exclusive environments and their clientele is high-level," he says.

Will it be a great investment?

"My budget is unlimited to create what I want in Spain. I have fallen in love with Madrid and, for me, it

is not a question of money

, but of doing what I truly have in my head, an unbeatable experience for the people of Madrid and also for tourists," adds Fournier.

The best of electronics

Bonbonniere Mykonos.

The new location aspires to be like the other Bonbonniere: luxury places where you can live experiences in which customer service is exquisite.

In Madrid, the concept that is going to be created is a little different from that of Mykonos, one of the most desired places to go out for drinks and listen to music on the planet since its opening in 2014, where it is common for customers to consume bottles of Cristal champagne at 1,000 euros a bottle.

"They think I'm a lunatic when I say this, but

Bonbonniere Mykonos is the largest seller of Belvedere vodka and Don Perignon champagne

in all of Greece and probably in Europe," says Fournier.

In Madrid, there will be no gastronomic offer or outdoor area, as in Greece, and

the focus will be on electronic music

.

"What Madrid lacks is a top and luxury place where you can live an electronic music experience, and where you can listen, for example, to

Solome

,

Black Coffee

and other incredible DJs without having to go to Getafe or Fabrik."

According to the British businessman, after having visited almost all the places in the capital, "right now there is not much choice of nightclubs. There are very good restaurants, but not many options to go afterwards. There is a lot of room to be creative and set up experiences with good music, good service... ".

Bonbonniere Tulum.

Fournier gives more clues about the new location: "We will be in the center of Madrid, in a large building, with high ceilings, with booths, exclusive seats, impeccable table service and also a dance floor. We will only offer drinks, so the "People will only come to the club from 12 at night, after dinner, and until six in the morning."

The businessman assures that there will be

room for all types of audiences

, not just those with high purchasing power.

"That is, the youngest will have the possibility of being on the floor dancing with a 15-euro glass, while another type of customer, like me, will be in the booth at a table with a glass of French champagne."

Fournier assures that in his establishments

they do not charge an entrance fee to enter

, "that is an old-fashioned mentality. When you are at another level, more luxurious, you limit your audience by what you offer inside. If you want a table reserved for 10 people, it is 10,000 euros; if you want a drink at the bar, it is the same as in other places, you can pay from 15 euros for a glass to 500 euros for a shot of Hennessy cognac," he says.

The fact that the brand is international and well-known within electronic music will also allow the most famous DJs to play.

Fournier's expectations for the new Bonbonniere Madrid are high.

"I think there is a niche in the market where we can fit. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's life, sometimes you succeed and sometimes you don't."

Trajectory

And the British entrepreneur knows a lot about failures and new beginnings.

Born from a humble family in a disadvantaged neighborhood of London, he began working as a dishwasher in an Indian restaurant at the age of 13, while he played basketball and earned some extra money participating in clandestine fights on the city streets.

At 18 he signed as a

professional basketball player

, a career that was cut short after a few years due to an injury.

With the money he earned he opened his first personal training gym.

"It didn't work, I had to close and I went bankrupt," he says.

"But you get up, start over, work, save and keep going."

After that setback, he managed to have another 14 gyms, until he sold the premises and with the money he entered the high-profile hospitality and nightlife sector in London.

There he opened, among other establishments, his first Bonbonniere, which immediately became an

exclusive meeting point for wealthy celebrities from around the world

.

In 2014 he landed in Mykonos: "I had never been there in my life, I prefer to go to Saint Tropez, and I was not the least bit interested, but in the end I accepted the offer because the owners who sold me the place were good people and, fundamentally, because the Louis Vuitton store was opposite, and I thought 'if someone smarter than me at Louis Vuitton believed that this was a good place to set up their business, I was not going to be any less,'" says Fournier, laughing.

With Brexit, he decided

to close all his businesses in the United Kingdom

: "I didn't agree, it seemed like a delay, so I abandoned everything in that country and went to live in Miami."

In 2015, he resumed his passion for fighting and became a

professional boxer

in the light heavyweight category.

To this day, he remains undefeated, with a record of 11 victories by knockout.

"Boxing is a very absorbing sport, of body and mind, and that discipline also makes you a good businessman. What is the secret of combining everything? I

never took drugs

, I always focus on what matters, I never look at the past, I don't drink much, I train daily and I choose my fights well," he says.

The businessman reflects... he has spent many years running nightclubs: "I don't know if I'm going to be successful in Madrid enough to be better, for example, than

Ushuaia Ibiza

, but the important thing and what motivates me is the journey, everything I experienced to create this project, and everything I have enjoyed in the process.

What he does know is that he loves Madrid, and Bonbonniere is not going to be the only thing he invests in.

"I would like to open something in the Cava Baja area, maybe something related to pizza; maybe also an Irish pub, because I love Guinness beer, and possibly a high-end Greek restaurant," he says.

"I want to create a brand in Madrid and then expand to other places in Spain."

On days when he is not traveling to one side of the planet or the other, Joe Fournier likes to walk four to five hours around Casa de Campo with his dog Duke.

It is a therapy, as well as a training for both.

And, while he does it, he thinks about how he can

bring more added value

to his new favorite city.