Hermès heirs top French fortune ranking in 2025, dethroning Arnault

Paris - The Hermès heirs benefited from the luxury group's strong stock market performance in 2025. This allowed them to take the top spot in the annual ranking of French professional fortunes. The ranking was published on Wednesday by Challenges magazine. They dethroned Bernard Arnault and his family.

Since the start of 2025, Hermès has shown greater resilience to the slowdown in the global luxury market. It has firmly established itself as the largest market capitalisation in France. The house overtook the global giant LVMH (LVMH), whose largest shareholder is Arnault.

Arnault, who was once the richest man in the world, had topped Challenges' French fortunes ranking since 2017. This year, he will have to settle for second place. His professional fortune is estimated at 117 billion euros. This is 74 billion euros less than in last year's Challenges ranking. It is also far behind the 163 billion euros attributed to the numerous members of the Hermès inheriting families. These families own two-thirds of the group's shares.

The magazine counted 145 billionaire families in France this year. This is two fewer than in 2024, but almost ten times more than when the ranking was created thirty years ago.

According to Challenges, the combined wealth of the 500 largest French fortunes reached 1,128 billion euros in 2025. This is down from the record 1,228 billion euros reached last year. The Challenges ranking is based on company shares and equity stakes. The value is either given by market prices or estimated if the securities are unlisted.

It does not take into account personal assets, such as property. Behind Arnault, the top five changes little. In third place are brothers Alain and Gérard Wertheimer of Chanel (95 billion euros). In fourth place is Françoise Bettencourt Meyers of L'Oréal (74 billion euros). Then, almost tied, are the Dassault family and Rodolphe Saadé of CMA-CGM (35 billion euros).

They are followed by Xavier Niel of Free (28 billion euros); Gérard Mulliez of Auchan and Decathlon (26 billion euros); François Pinault of the Kering group (owner of Saint Laurent and Gucci, 15 billion euros); and Emmanuel Besnier of the agri-food giant Lactalis (14 billion euros).