Jean Coutu

Jean Coutu, OC OQ (born May 29, 1927) is a Canadian pharmacist and businessman. He is the founder and Chairman of the Jean Coutu Group which he started in 1969. With an estimated net worth of $US 1.6 billion (as of March 2012), Coutu was ranked by Forbes as the 22nd wealthiest Canadian and 938th wealthiest person in the world.[1]

• The billionaire in the white lab coat, Jean Coutu founded the Canadian drugstore chain that bears his name.
• In October 2017 Coutu agreed to sell his publicly-traded company to supermarket giant Metro for $4.5 billion in cash and stock.
• Son of a pediatrician, he opened his first pharmacy in 1969, merging low prices on wide-ranging products with customer service and extended hours.
• Coutu, who was chief executive until 2002 and then again from 2005 to 2007, grew The Jean Coutu Group by acquiring many of his competitors.
• The company was once a leading shareholder of U.S. drug store operator Rite Aid but sold the last of its stake in 2013.