Hermès family edges out Bernard Arnault in new ranking of France's richest
Challenges valued the Hermès family fortune, which controls 66.7% of shares in the luxury house, at €163.4 billion (a 5% increase from 2024). In contrast, the wealth of Arnault and his family, who hold 48% of LVMH's capital, fell to €116.7 billion (a decrease of 38.6%), according to estimates by the business magazine based on stock market valuations.
The 2025 ranking reflects ongoing changes in the luxury industry, whose growth has slowed since mid-2024. Yet Hermès outperformed its rivals in 2024. Its net profit rose by 6.8%, according to Challenges, while LVMH's fell by 17%. As a result, Arnault's conglomerate, which generates nearly €85 billion in sales, lost 25% of its value in a year, while Hermès' stock (with €15.2 billion in revenue in 2024) gained more than 2.5%.
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