While the Arnault clan has dominated this financial elite classification since 2009, with the exception of 2016 when Liliane Bettencourt had briefly preceded it by one billion euros, the last list reveals an unprecedented change. With a luxury sector strongly impacted by the uncertainties of American policies and customs taxes since the return of Donald Trump, it therefore appears that Hermès resists much better than LVMH.
Fortunes are calculated according to the values of all professional goods, listed on the stock market or not. This does not take into account personal property such as private real estate, cars, works of art …
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Reflection of a difficult year for luxury
Long considered the richest man on the planet, Bernard Arnault therefore comes to be overtaken. And for good reason, in 2025, the value of Arnault’s professional goods drastically dropped from 190 billion to 117 billion euros, a decrease of 38 %. This decline is explained by a particularly complicated 2024 year, marked by a collapse of the course of the LVMH action. Indeed, the Arnault family group recorded a 17 % drop in its turnover, while its price on the stock market has greatly fell over a year.
This trend is not specific to LVMH. Other luxury giants, such as Chanel or Kering have undergone the same thing, with respective losses of 28 % and 62 %. Kering also fell 3.50% on the stock market this Friday.
Hermès’ exceptional growth
Conversely, the Hérière d’Hermès family took advantage of the great stock market for the group in 2025 to establish themselves as the first French market capitalization, with a professional fortune estimated at 163 billion euros, a growth of 6.6 %, compared to the previous year.
In April 2025, Hermès had taken the head of the CAC 40 on the Paris Stock Exchange, reaching a record valuation of 249 billion euros, thus exceeding the LVMH giant. This performance had propelled the Hermès family at the top of French fortunes. Under the direction of Axel Dumas since 2014, the group’s turnover has been multiplied by three and its stock market valuation has been multiplied by five.
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This growth, in a difficult context for the sector, is explained by a clear strategy of the brand. Unlike certain competitors, Hermès has chosen to limit its price increases, in particular by capping the Hause of Birkin bags to 2.9 %.
At the same time, the brand sold this Birkin bag this collection this collection this collection this auction, at more than 8 million euros, establishing a world record. Hermès’ first birkin bag, specially designed for Jane Birkin, hence the name, in 1984. Indeed, during a Paris-London flight, the English singer complains to her neighbor not to find a bag adapted to her needs as a young mother. His neighbor is none other than Jean-Louis Dumas, patron of Hermès at the time. A tote with a space dedicated to bottles is born and bears the name Birkin.
According to them, this approach would have allowed them to “preserve their perception of value and quality with their customers”. For comparison, Chanel has increased the prices of its bags by almost 10 % per year.