The podium of the greatest fortunes in Switzerland remains unchanged in 2024, dominated by the co-owner of the Parisian label Chanel.
Gérard Wertheimer, owner with his brother Alain of the luxury fashion and perfume house Chanel, retains his first place in the ranking of the 300 richest in the country published Thursday evening by Bilan magazine. And this despite the slowdown experienced by the luxury sector this year and the decline in its fortune estimated at 37, even 38 billion francs.
“These uncertainties have repercussions on our valuation of the company, estimated at between 80 and 90 billion dollars. Calculated in francs, the fall in Gérard Wertheimer’s fortune results from the sharp decline in the American currency over one year,” underlines the magazine.
In second place is the Hoffmann, Oeri and Duschmalé family, which controls the Basel pharmaceutical giant Roche, with 28 to 29 billion francs. In 2023, the family received around 750 million francs in dividends, according to the document.
The podium is once again completed by the nonagenarian Klaus-Michael Kühne, endowed with 27 to 28 billion francs, majority shareholder of the Schwyz transport and logistics group Kühne+Nagel.
Fourth place is once again occupied by the Safra family, at the head of the private bank J. Safra Sarasin, whose nest egg has stabilized between 22 and 23 billion francs.
Gain of 2 billion for Jorge Lemann
Next come the Aponte family, who founded the cruise giant MSC, headquartered in Geneva, as well as the Swiss-Brazilian Jorge Lemann, aged 85. It rose in the ranking with 17 to 18 billion francs, despite the setbacks of Kraft Heinz, in which it had to liquidate its stake.
“Stock market gains from his shares in beer giant AB InBev, as well as Restaurant Brands International, owner of Burger King and Tim Hortons, and other companies, brought him nearly 2 billion francs – although this remains largely theoretical,” according to Bilan.
In seventh position is businessman Andrey Melnichenko (assets of 17 to 18 billion), who however no longer seems to feel so well in Switzerland. He “continues to fight against Swiss and Western sanctions, which he finds unfair” and no longer goes to his house in Graubünden. The coal giant Suek, which he created, closed its Swiss office after twenty years of activity in the country.
The Blocher family still in the top 10
In eighth place, the Bertarelli family (15 to 16 billion) maintains ties in Switzerland, notably activities in biotech and a residence in Gstaad, despite the acquisition of a luxurious residence in London two years ago.
Then, the Blocher family saw their fortune increase, between 15 and 16 billion. The sisters Magdalena Martullo-Blocher, Rahel Blocher and Miriam Baumann-Blocher control around 70% of the shares of the Grison chemicals group Ems-Chemie, worth more than 11 billion francs, despite the difficulties encountered by the company This year. Their brother, Markus Blocher, is profiting from the expansion of his company Dottikon ES.
Tenth place is now occupied by Geneva entrepreneur Guillaume Pousaz, with 14 to 15 billion euros and based in London to focus on checkout.com, his platform specializing in processing online payments for clients like Tiffany, TicketMaster or again PlayStation.
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