Most of the world's richest people are household names at this point: Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates.Yet Bernard Arnault, CEO of luxury brand conglomerate LVMH, has surpassed them all to become No. 1 - and now his family's net worth has hit a colossal $200 billion.Here's how this French tycoon became the second person in history to achieve that milestone, and how investors (even those with limited funds) can steal a piece of his success.Who is Bernard Arnault?Bernard Arnault stands behind podium in front of blue backdrop.IAN LANGSDON/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockArnault is the face behind LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), a luxury empire that includes not just the three iconic brands in the company's name but also such revered fashion houses as Christian Dior, Fendi and Givenchy.Other brands you may recognize include Dom Pérignon champagne, Sephora cosmetics - and just this past January, his company acquired Tiffany & Co. for $15.8 billion.His father, Jean Arnault, made his fortune in construction, and the younger Arnault started his career working for him, eventually taking over as president in 1979.Five years later, for $15 million, he bought up Boussac Saint-Frères, a company whose assets included Christian Dior. Then, in 1988, he maneuvered to take a majority stake in LVMH.By the mid-'90s, LVMH's value had multiplied 15 times over, and sales and profits increased fivefold.How did he become the world's richest man?Two designer bags and a pair of shoes sit on a table in a shop.Creative Lab / ShutterstockForbes' list of top billionaires has long been populated by American names, but Arnault made it into the top 10 back in 2005.He inched his way to the top five by 2018, and a year later, he clinched the top three with a $76 billion fortune.Even the pandemic - which put an end to retail shopping, fancy galas and international travel - couldn't derail his trip to the top.Luxury sales have recovered surprisingly quickly, particularly as conditions improve in China, and LVMH's stock price continues to soar.In late May, LVMH's stock rose 0.4% in the first hours of trading, adding $600 million to Arnault's personal fortune and knocking Amazon's Bezos off his pedestal.

作者:wake

链接:https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/400157465

来源:知乎