After abdicating as emir in 2013, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who died on 12 July, built up a vast investment portfolio in high-end real estate, hotels and luxury goods. It is not clear who will inherit the assets that made the late former ruler one of the sector's undeclared, yet key, players.
In 2019, the Maybourne group subsidiary obtained planning permission in London’s select Belgravia district on the proviso that it also invest in social housing. Five years on, however, the parent company has incorporated this affordable housing into another of its hotel projects instead, prompting Westminster City Council to open an inquiry.
The deal was not supposed to be done until 2028. But the French luxury jeweller and watchmaker has jumped in and taken over its Piedmont supplier, less than six months after Kering acquired one of Europe’s leading jewellery makers.
Work is underway to convert a former private mansion in the heart of the Marais district in Paris into a hotel.
By agreeing to speak for nearly two hours on the French Legend podcast platform, the LVMH boss favoured a media outlet with close ties to one of his group’s service providers.
A year after the wealth manager's death, French and Swiss judicial authorities are still struggling to unravel the complex financial transactions he used to defraud his many clients, including Hermès heir Nicolas Puech. Some of his schemes were dressed up as cultural initiatives, taking advantage of the extensive network Freymond had built up within the historic restoration sector.
Andrew Dershaw, who used to be in charge of wholesale at Stella McCartney, claims to have been sidelined and then sacked after criticising allegedly illegal pricing schemes at LVMH, a shareholder in the fashion label until 2025.
Ian Rogers, an American who was formerly the LVMH head’s personal consultant on digital matters, was locked in a bitter battle with the French tax authorities for several years.
The luxury group had taken US tech giant Meta to court in France over a video suggesting Bottega Veneta bags may not have been produced in Italy.
LVMH’s high-end Parisian department store is looking to open its doors to more reasonably priced brands. An initial trial run is in progress involving a firm that is indirectly owned by the luxury giant.
After abdicating as emir in 2013, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who died on 12 July, built up a vast investment portfolio in high-end real estate, hotels and luxury goods. It is not clear who will inherit the assets that made the late former ruler one of the sector's undeclared, yet key, players.
In 2019, the Maybourne group subsidiary obtained planning permission in London’s select Belgravia district on the proviso that it also invest in social housing. Five years on, however, the parent company has incorporated this affordable housing into another of its hotel projects instead, prompting Westminster City Council to open an inquiry.
The deal was not supposed to be done until 2028. But the French luxury jeweller and watchmaker has jumped in and taken over its Piedmont supplier, less than six months after Kering acquired one of Europe’s leading jewellery makers.
Work is underway to convert a former private mansion in the heart of the Marais district in Paris into a hotel.
By agreeing to speak for nearly two hours on the French Legend podcast platform, the LVMH boss favoured a media outlet with close ties to one of his group’s service providers.
Although his name is not widely known to the general public, the Frenchman manages the finances of several of the Arnault family’s holding companies. At the same time, he is a director at Stanislas, the private Catholic school favoured by the Parisian elite.
The head of Christian Dior Couture has just joined the board of directors of JW Anderson, the brand led by its Northern Irish creative director. Although a minority shareholder, LVMH contributes generously to the company’s budget, which includes Anderson’s collaboration with Uniqlo.
Glitz has learnt that the French billionaire businessman is set to purchase a monumental artwork by Barbara Kruger that will go on display at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris on 7 October. The American artist has in the past strongly criticised Supreme, a streetwear brand now owned by the Del Vecchio family, which has often worked with the luxury sector.
At the heart of the British supermodel’s appeal against being banned from running a charity in 2024 is a €15,000 London-Nice plane ticket. Glitz has the latest details.
A year after the wealth manager's death, French and Swiss judicial authorities are still struggling to unravel the complex financial transactions he used to defraud his many clients, including Hermès heir Nicolas Puech. Some of his schemes were dressed up as cultural initiatives, taking advantage of the extensive network Freymond had built up within the historic restoration sector.
Andrew Dershaw, who used to be in charge of wholesale at Stella McCartney, claims to have been sidelined and then sacked after criticising allegedly illegal pricing schemes at LVMH, a shareholder in the fashion label until 2025.
Ian Rogers, an American who was formerly the LVMH head’s personal consultant on digital matters, was locked in a bitter battle with the French tax authorities for several years.
The luxury group had taken US tech giant Meta to court in France over a video suggesting Bottega Veneta bags may not have been produced in Italy.
LVMH’s high-end Parisian department store is looking to open its doors to more reasonably priced brands. An initial trial run is in progress involving a firm that is indirectly owned by the luxury giant.
Alongside the Arnaults with LVMH, the Ruperts are the only family in the luxury sector to have structured control of their group, Richemont, across multiple holding companies registered in various territories. These arrangements, perfected over several years, ensure the clan’s continued dominance and are designed to facilitate the eventual handover of the chairmanship from Johann to his son Anton.
Since the departure of its grand ambassador for VIPs, Fendi has been working hard to keep its ultra-wealthy clientele on board. This has included investing in some eye-catching new projects.
Maitrepierre requested a seizure of counterfeit goods from the premises of Diesel’s French subsidiary in November 2024 and brought legal proceedings the following month.
Although his name is not widely known to the general public, the Frenchman manages the finances of several of the Arnault family’s holding companies. At the same time, he is a director at Stanislas, the private Catholic school favoured by the Parisian elite.
The head of Christian Dior Couture has just joined the board of directors of JW Anderson, the brand led by its Northern Irish creative director. Although a minority shareholder, LVMH contributes generously to the company’s budget, which includes Anderson’s collaboration with Uniqlo.
Glitz has learnt that the French billionaire businessman is set to purchase a monumental artwork by Barbara Kruger that will go on display at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris on 7 October. The American artist has in the past strongly criticised Supreme, a streetwear brand now owned by the Del Vecchio family, which has often worked with the luxury sector.
At the heart of the British supermodel’s appeal against being banned from running a charity in 2024 is a €15,000 London-Nice plane ticket. Glitz has the latest details.
In the swanky villages of Long Island, the summer home to wealthy New Yorkers, luxury brands are increasingly embedding themselves in local life. They sponsor private dinners, equestrian events and regattas to offset the massive losses incurred by maintaining their high-cost boutiques there.
Having already lost Pieter Mulier to Versace, Richemont could see Chloé’s creative director Chemena Kamali heading out the door too.
The American Darren Spaziani may not be a household name, but he is a driving force in the fashion house’s leather goods division. A small French company that claims to have helped him secure his contracts with the brand is now demanding a slice of his earnings.
Richemont’s long-planned sale of the watch brand was finalised earlier this month. Glitz has the low-down on the deal.
As luxury investments belonging to former emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani are being redistributed to his heirs, the fashion brands controlled by the dynasty are running up staggering losses.
Alongside the Arnaults with LVMH, the Ruperts are the only family in the luxury sector to have structured control of their group, Richemont, across multiple holding companies registered in various territories. These arrangements, perfected over several years, ensure the clan’s continued dominance and are designed to facilitate the eventual handover of the chairmanship from Johann to his son Anton.
Since the departure of its grand ambassador for VIPs, Fendi has been working hard to keep its ultra-wealthy clientele on board. This has included investing in some eye-catching new projects.
Maitrepierre requested a seizure of counterfeit goods from the premises of Diesel’s French subsidiary in November 2024 and brought legal proceedings the following month.
Already struggling with logistical problems that are hindering the in-store roll-out of Jonathan Anderson’s first creations, Dior is also contending with a consumer complaint in South Korea that could go viral.
The French authorities stepped up operations to dismantle criminal networks linked to drug trafficking in 2025. And they are finding more and more counterfeit luxury goods among the ill-gotten gains they are seizing.
The recent death of the French icon has triggered protracted negotiations involving her son, her foundation and the finance ministry over the fate of her two estates in the exclusive French Riviera resort. Business leaders, who have residences in the area, are keeping a keen eye on proceedings.
Already damaged by its association with well-being guru and Jeffrey Epstein buddy Deepak Chopra, the luxury skincare brand Augustinus Bader is weathering tough times, despite boasting some leading luxury sector figures among its shareholders.
Having sold the beauty brand Creed and several major property assets, the head of Kering wants to enter the resale market to revive the group, whose turnover fell by 13% in 2025 and whose share price has been sluggish since the start of the year.
The luxury sector is in the doldrums, but the French giant continues to post impressive growth. This resilience is partly due to a distinct market reserved for the happy few and run by hand-picked intermediaries. Privileged access to Birkin and Kelly bags, control over distribution, careful management of spending... Glitz investigates.
The late sex offender, who financed a number of modelling agencies, consistently courted leading figures in the luxury world. Documents recently released by the US Department of Justice show that Epstein offered his services to various industry operators, often through high-profile intermediaries, but without ever attaining the status of shadow adviser he coveted.
It was meant to be LVMH’s London showpiece: a luxury hotel just a stone’s throw from Bond Street. Scheduled to open in 2022, it was quietly scrapped by the fashion giant, and the site was taken over by an enigmatic fund, behind which Glitz has identified a well-known British political figure.
This spring, Miuccia Prada set up a new entity in an already complex ecosystem of family holdings. The leading Italian luxury family's dividends go back into such structures, which operate in domains as diverse as real estate, cryptocurrency, art and space exploration.
The revelation of long-standing ties between wellness guru Deepak Chopra and the sex offender financier is tarnishing the cosmetics brands with which he was associated, foremost among them Augustinus Bader.
The creative stamp of the Northern Irish fashion designer and the Milan public prosecutor’s office’s investigation into the brand’s Italian subcontractors have severely disrupted production at LVMH’s flagship house, which has been grappling with a major operational problem for months.
The illustrious house may still be posting strong financials, but stormy weather lurks behind the horizon as customers are feeling increasingly alienated by the brand's highly controlled sales practices.
The Lauder family’s influence now extends well beyond the cosmetics sector that made its fortune. From contacts within the US Federal Reserve to informal diplomacy in the Middle East and investments in defence technologies, the clan is pursuing a multi-sectoral strategy of influence. At the heart of this ecosystem lie political networks closely connected to the American president’s inner circle.
In the affluent towns of Dinard and Saint-Briac-sur-Mer in France's Brittany region, the hospitality executive's Bazeo Europe fund is buying up hotels, restaurants and shops in what could be the making of an ultra-luxury holiday spot.
To contend with Donald Trump’s customs duties, Breitling, LVMH and Pernod Ricard have turned to the same Washington lobbying firm. Ballard Partners was founded by a Trump ally and last year became one of DC's leading lobbyists, in large part thanks to its new luxury sector clients.
With several of his ventures, particularly in Dubai, in trouble or on hold, the French financier is preparing to open a drag cabaret on Avenue Montaigne. But this move by the new owner of the Moma group of restaurants and nightclubs could cause quite the stir in the heart of Parisian luxury, a world obsessively protective of its image.
As the only one of Bernard Arnault’s children not to head a luxury brand, LVMH’s Director of Image and Environment has been honing his entrepreneurial skills through his personal holding companies. He is currently working on a major property development project in Paris.
Although Qatar’s ruling family has become a key player in the luxury sector through its stakes in Valentino, Balmain and Maybourne and its Kering partnership, the individual ventures of some of its members have not been so successful. Princess Noor Al-Thani initially took the Parisian luxury scene by storm, but then ran into a series of disputes and legal battles.
A year after his appointment, the CEO is still struggling to turn Kering’s brands around. And so he is now looking elsewhere for new sources of growth, quietly putting money in brands outside the group’s portfolio.
The British casting director was entrusted with selecting the models who strutted the runway for the French fashion house for the autumn-winter 2026 collection. Chanel had been the last brand to choose its own models.
Led by the emirate's royal family, Qatari interests are positioning themselves on Paris's Left Bank, which is set to become the French capital's third luxury district after Avenue Montaigne and Faubourg St Honoré. Their Monopoly moves are facilitated by the close and long-standing ties between Qatar and Rachida Dati, the mayor of the arrondissement and prospective Paris mayor.
Mohamed Reza Pahlavi, the Iranian ruler who was deposed in 1979, was a passionate watch collector. Nearly 50 years later, the extent of his collection remains a mystery, with timepieces turning up at auction that may or may not have been owned by him - and not all luxury watchmakers feel the same way about these classic items.
In Geneva, Bern and Lausanne, the victims of the late wealth manager are all heading to court to try to recover the money he stole from them. In France, however, the judicial process is following a different route as the Paris Judicial Court tries to get to the bottom of the financier's predatory schemes by focusing on the various figures who worked alongside him.
The Wertheimer brothers, although respectively resident in the United States and Switzerland, have quietly built up a substantial French real estate portfolio, whose extent Glitz can now reveal.
The luxury events and PR conglomerate The Independents has been banking since 2023 on being acquired by the media magnate Stéphane Courbit, but the transaction was thrown into doubt this spring. Since then, it has actively been trying to keep the deal alive, which would benefit not only its founding shareholders but also the founders of its many agencies, which include Alexandre de Betak, Karla Otto and Lucien Pagès.
Having been idling in the slow lane of late, Gucci is now banking on an F1 sponsorship deal to boost its image and sales. But it is entering a race in which its leading competitor already has a comfortable headstart.
The Prada founder’s granddaughter has for some time been quietly engaged in a major construction project on an extensive plot of land she possesses in the south of Milan. The undertaking has the potential to reconfigure the luxury retail scene in the Lombardy capital.
“My term runs until May 2028, but could be shortened if the board finds the right person to replace me,” Sébastien Bazin declared at Accor’s recent AGM. And it may not be too long before the hotel chain’s directors do precisely that.
Luxury cosmetics manufacturers have found ways to carry on selling their products in the country, despite the European Union and the US imposing sanctions on the sale of perfumes and beauty products when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Although the opening of the first branch in the US of the Parisian department store at One Wall Street has been a success, the project has required considerable investment from its owners.
As luxury investments belonging to former emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani are being redistributed to his heirs, the fashion brands controlled by the dynasty are running up staggering losses.
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Alongside the Arnaults with LVMH, the Ruperts are the only family in the luxury sector to have structured control of their group, Richemont, across multiple holding companies registered in various territories. These arrangements, perfected over several years, ensure the clan's continued dominance and are designed to facilitate the eventual handover of the chairmanship from Johann to his son Anton.
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LVMH's high-end Parisian department store is looking to open its doors to more reasonably priced brands. An initial trial run is in progress involving a firm that is indirectly owned by the luxury giant.
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