Chanel owner remains Switzerland’s richest person

Keystone / Martin Meissner

Reflecting the buoyant state of the luxury goods industry, Gérard Wertheimer remains at the top of the list of the 300 wealthiest people in Switzerland. Together with his brother Alain, the Frenchman owns Chanel.

According to the 2023 edition of the ranking of the 300 wealthiest people in Switzerland, unveiled on Friday by Bilan magazine, the Wertheimer family’s fortune is estimated at between CHF41 billion and CHF42 billion ($46.5 billion-$47.5 billion), CHF 9 billion more than the 2022 rankings.

In second place are the descendants of Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche, founder of the pharmaceuticals group Roche, with a fortune of CHF26 billion-CHF27 billion. Their wealth declined by CHF4 billion, reflecting a falling market capitalisation for the pharmaceuticals giant, while the family shareholder pool holds more than 65% of the bearer shares.

Klaus-Michael Kühne, the honorary chairman and majority shareholder (54%) of Kühne Nagel, who also owns almost 30% of the German shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd, remains firmly in third place. His net worth of between CHF24 billion-CHF26 billion increased by almost CHF4 billion, thanks in particular to the buoyant business and share price of the transport and logistics giant.

The Safra family, based in Basel and Geneva and active mainly in banking, but also in real estate and agribusiness, remains in fourth place, with its wealth stable at CHF22 billion-CHF23 billion. The fifth spot is occupied by the Apponte family, owners of the shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).

Trouble in paradise

In sixth place is the Russian Andrey Melnichenko (assets of CHF16 billion to CHF17 billion), domiciled in the upmarket resort of St Moritz and is the owner of the Suek group, one of the world’s largest coal miners. The businessman has been subject to sanctions in Western countries including Switzerland since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Jorge Lemann, who has lived in Rapperswil, on the shores of Lake Zurich for more than twenty years, and who has dual Brazilian and Swiss nationality, is the seventh richest Swiss resident. His company 3G Capital, owned with his long-time partners Marcel Telles and Carlos Sicupera, has been hit by a scandal involving the falsification of the balance sheet of the Brazilian distribution group Americanas. The assets of the octogenarian, who also played for Switzerland in the Davis Cup tennis tournament, have shrunk by nearly a billion francs to CHF15 billion-CHF16 billion. His holdings include stakes in Kraft Heinz, Burger King and the world’s leading beer company AB inBev.

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