As of: February 16, 2024, 3:21 p.m
By: Andreas Jäger
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Fashion, sweets or cosmetics: the richest Europeans come from a wide variety of industries.
There is also a German in the top 5 - but someone else takes the top spot.
Munich - Every year Forbes magazine publishes a list of the wealthiest people in the world - this year the frontrunner with a fortune of more than 241 billion US dollars is Tesla boss Elon Musk.
Also on the list are Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, investor legend Warren Buffett and former Amazon boss Jeff Bezos.
All Americans.
But there are also some billionaires at home in Europe.
We introduce the five richest.
5th place: Giovanni Ferrero
The Italian Giovanni Ferrero is currently ranked 5th among the richest Europeans.
© picture alliance / Bruno Murialdo/ANSA FILE/dpa
Ferrero – many people probably immediately think of sweets.
And they are exactly the ones who helped Giovanni Ferrero become rich.
He is the CEO of the confectionery manufacturer of the same name, which includes products such as Mon Cherie, Duplo, Hanuta and Nutella.
Giovanni Ferrero retired from his role as managing director in 2017.
With an estimated personal fortune of 36 billion euros, the 59-year-old is not only the fifth richest European, but also the richest Italian.
4th place: Dieter Schwarz
Dieter Schwarz owns the Lidl and Kaufland supermarkets.
There are hardly any photos of the publicity-shy entrepreneur.
© Anja Cord/Imago
“Lidl is worth it” is the slogan of the traditional German discounter.
That's definitely true for Dieter Schwarz - because the owner of the Schwarz Group, which includes Lidl and Kaufland, is once again the richest German this year, according to Forbes.
The 84-year-old entrepreneur's assets are said to be worth 42 billion euros.
Schwarz is considered very shy of publicity - there are only a few photos of him and he generally doesn't give interviews.
3rd place: Amancio Ortega
Amancio Ortega is the richest man in Spain, according to Forbes.
© IMAGO / ABACAPRESS
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It all started with a bathrobe business, and today the Spaniard Amancio Ortega is the third richest European.
He is the founder of the fashion chain Zara, which can now be found in almost every shopping center.
In addition to the textile industry, the 87-year-old is also active in the real estate and financial sectors, in the motor vehicle trade and in investment fund management.
Forbes estimates Ortega's fortune at 90 billion euros.
2nd place: Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers
Francoise Bettencours-Meyers, heiress to a cosmetics empire, has an estimated fortune of 91 billion euros.
© IMAGO/Bernard Patrick/ABACA
It is the beauty business that is responsible for Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers' considerable fortune.
The 70-year-old Frenchwoman inherited the L'Oréal cosmetics empire.
Today, Bettencours-Meyers and her family still own more than 30 percent of the company's shares,
according to
Handelsblatt .
She also sits on the board of directors of L'Oréal with her sons and serves as deputy chairman of the board.
Her estimated fortune is 91 billion euros.
This makes her the second richest person in Europe – and also in France.
Because there is also a Frenchman in first place.
1st place: Bernard Arnault
According to Forbes list, Bernard Arnault is the richest person in Europe.
© IMAGO/Vincent Isore
Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi – he is the man who owns the luxury fashion brands: Bernard Arnault.
Forbes estimates his fortune at a whopping 195 billion euros, making him the richest man in Europe.
By the way, he is in second place worldwide and is only beaten by Elon Musk.
The best way to toast this is with a glass of Moët champagne, because he also owns this brand.