Bernard Arnault (LVMH) causes a sensation by acquiring shares in Richemont

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– Bernard Arnault acquires shares in the Swiss group Richemont.

However, it is a small fortress in the world of luxury. Owned by the Rupert family, the Richemont group is the third largest luxury group in the world in the world, notably holding giants in watchmaking, leather goods and jewelry such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Montblanc, Piaget and Alfred Dunhill. LVMH remains the number one luxury brand in the world, but Bernard Arnault has nevertheless taken a «petite» participation in the capital of the Swiss group, Meet & Match learned.

The announcement is all the more surprising given that its president, Johann Rupert, holds a majority of the voting rights with only 10.2% of the capital. According to our colleagues, this structure makes Richemont “inoperable” and any hostile takeover is almost conceivable. “This is a small line among hundreds of others in the portfolio of a family fund”specifies a source from BFM Business.

Does Bernard Arnault want to buy Richemont?

For now, no amount has been revealed regarding this operation, but this participation raised as many questions as positive opinions since at midday, Tuesday June 25, the company’s price jumped by almost 3% on the Zurich Stock Exchange. For his part, Bloomberg writes that this operation “may still raise questions about its investment intentions”. What does this acquisition of a stake in the Richemont group mean?

Three years ago, the boss of LVMH acquired Tiffany & Co. for $16 billion, but this operation could translate more into a mark of admiration for the Swiss group, believe people close to the billionaire. This in no way means that Bernard Arnault wants to buy Richemont. According to Meet & Match, LVMH might want strengthen its position in the world of luxury. In addition, antitrust regulators could be reluctant to such a takeover operation.