CRUCIAL QUOTE
“As for me, rest assured: I will continue doing Le Monde’s crossword puzzles, which are excellent,” Arnault ended his letter, according to a Google translation from the original French.
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What to watch for
What else the billionaire might say on social media. Arnault’s first, and only, X post to date was posted Monday morning in which he re-shared LVMH’s initial posting of his letter and said he was “deeply touched” by the public’s response.
SURPRISING FACT
Billionaire Xavier Niel, the main shareholder of Le Monde, is the partner of Arnault’s daughter, Dephine. The pair aren’t married, but have been together since 2010.
FORBES VALUATION
Arnault—whose LVMH conglomerate includes Dior, Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Louis Vuitton, Sephora, Tiffany & Co and dozens of other luxury brands—is worth an estimated $142.4 billion, and is No. 9 on Forbes rich list as of Monday and the wealthiest person in France. His five children all work in leadership positions at LVMH. Neil, who owns telecoms giant Iliad, is worth an estimated $15.8 billion as the seventh richest person in France.
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WHAT DID LE MONDE SAY ABOUT ARNAULT’S FAMILY?
In an article titled “The succession of Bernard Arnault, the poison at the heart of LVMH,” per a translation, Le Monde argues that Arnault, 77, has prepared all his five children to inherit his luxury empire and, in doing so, pitted the group against each other. Delphine (51), Antoine (49), Alexandre (34), Frédéric (31) and Jean Arnault (27) all have major leadership positions in the company and the newspaper claimed Arnault has encouraged competition, fostering a rivalry and competing factions rather than unity. It claims his children from different marriages have formed alliances among themselves to compete for succession and that LVMH shareholders have gotten antsy about the lack of a clear inheritance plan. Arnault rejected the portrayal.
Luxury Slowdown Hits LVMH Where It Hurts: China
LVMH has faced a slowdown since the end of a post-pandemic boom as luxury consumers, particularly in China, have backed off big purchases. The company reported full-year 2025 revenue of €80.8 billion (approximately $91.8 billion), down 5% on a reported basis and 1% organically compared to the previous year. The core fashion and leather goods division has suffered globally and while Chinese consumers have historically been a key growth engine for luxury brands, growth in the market wasn’t as promising for LVMH in its year-end report as it was for competitors like Richemont and Burberry. The conglomerate has also faced external pressures including weaker tourism spending and the Iran conflict’s impact on Middle Eastern luxury shopping hubs like Dubai, which the company said reduced first-quarter 2026 organic growth by about 1%. LVMH reported €19.1 billion ($21.7 billion) in first quarter revenue, down 6% from the first quarter of 2025. Stock has nosedived around 30% this year.
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