Bernard Arnault Net Worth: How rich is Bernard Arnault?

Bernard Arnault is a French billionaire who has an estimated net worth of US$188.6 billion as of December 2022 according to Forbes.

Bernard Arnault made his fortune as chairman and CEO of LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods conglomerate.

Bernard’s net worth has made him one of the world’s richest people for the majority of his adult life. Bernard Arnault surpassed Elon Musk to become the world’s richest person on December 13, 2022.

Bernard Arnault’s net worth surpassed $100 billion for the first time in June of 2019. He was the third-richest person on the planet at the time. In July 2019, his net worth surpassed $108 billion, making him the world’s second-richest person, roughly $400 million ahead of Bill Gates.

Arnault bought Christian Dior out of bankruptcy in the 1980s. He then used Dior’s profits and increased valuation to form a conglomerate of luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton, Moet, Hennessy, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Tag Heuer, Bulgari, and Tiffany & Co.

LVMH now houses approximately 70 brands and generates $70 billion in revenue per year. LVMH has a market capitalization of $384 billion as of this writing.

Bernard and the Arnault family’s extended family still own 97% of Dior directly, and Dior owns 41% of LVMH. The family also directly owns an additional 7% of LVMH. They control more than half of all voting rights.

Aside from LVMH, Bernard owns two wineries in France, Princess Yachts, 5% of Carrefour, France’s largest supermarket chain, and a multibillion-dollar art collection that includes works by Picasso and Warhol.