Anders Holch Povlsen
| Anders Holch Povlsen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1972 (age 45–46) |
| Residence | Aarhus, Denmark |
| Nationality | Danish |
| Occupation | CEO and sole owner, Bestseller |
| Net worth | $6.7 billion (August 2018)[1] |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) |
Troels Holch Povlsen Merete Bech Povlsen |
Anders Holch Povlsen (born 1972) is a Danish billionaire who is the CEO and sole owner of the international clothes retailer chain Bestseller (which includes Vero Moda, Jack&Jones, etc), a company founded by his parents, the biggest shareholder in the British internet clothes retailer Asos.com, and second biggest shareholder in German internet clothes retailer Zalando. He is the second-largest individual private landowner in the UK.
In 2018, Povlsen was the richest Dane according to Forbes.
Early life
Anders Holch Povlsen was born in 1972 to Troels Holch Povlsen and Merete Bech Povlsen.[1] The family's first clothes store opened in 1975 in the tiny Danish town of Brande, with a population of just 7,000.[2] Other outlets soon followed. Anders was only 28 when his father made him the sole owner of Bestseller.[2] The family also has an interest, along with two Danish partners in China, in Bestseller Fashion Group China, a company that designs its own collections for 5,000 stores in China.
Career
He serves as its Chief Executive Officer.[2] In 2013, Povlsen bought a 10% stake in the German internet clothes retailer Zalando, becoming the third largest shareholder. Bestseller already has a 27% stake in ASOS.com, the largest UK internet-only fashion retailer.[3]
In June 2015, Anders Holch Povlsen's net worth was estimated to be $5.8 Billion.[1]
Landowner
Scotland
In 2018 it was reported that Povlsen owns 221,000-acres of land in Scotland, making him the largest landowner.[4] This has risen from a 2012 level of 120,000 acres (49,000 ha), when he had bought two further large estates, the 24,000-acre Ben Loyal, and 18,000-acre Kinloch Lodge, both in Sutherland, in addition to a 47,000-acre estate he bought in Inverness-shire in 2006 and a 30,000-acre estate near Fort William that he bought in 2008.[5] Other large Scottish landowners are the Prince of Wales and Hugh Grosvenor, better known as the Duke of Westminster.
In 2013 it was reported that Povlsen had bought the 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) Gaick Estate in Inverness-shire earlier that year, bringing his total to 150,000 acres (61,000 ha), second only to the Buccleuch Estates as Scotland's largest private landowner. In addition, Povlsen had bought land in the Borders specifically to trade it with the Forestry Commission, in return for 1,000 acres of woodland to add to his 43,000-acre Glenfeshie Estate, south of Aviemore. Povlsen bought Glenfeshie in 2006, and expanded it by buying the 4,000-acre neighbouring farm of Killiehuntly.[6]
In 2015 he bought Aldourie Castle on the banks of Loch Ness for £15 million. In October 2016 he bought 18,000-acre Eriboll estate in Sutherland for £7 million.[7]
Denmark
In Denmark, Holch Povlsen owns and resides at the old Constantinsborg Estate west of Aarhus, along with substantial farmland and forests.[8]
Romania
Holch Povlsen has bought land in Romania's Carpathian Mountains to create a wilderness reserve for the surviving wolves, bears and lynx.[6]
Personal life
Povlsen is married with four children and lives in Aarhus, Denmark.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Forbes profile: Anders Holch Povlsen". Forbes. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- 1 2 3 Luisa Kroll, Meet Denmark's Newest, Youngest Fashion Billionaire, Forbes, December 13, 2012
- ↑ Cruz, Julie (13 August 2013). "Billionaire Holch Povlsen Adds Zalando to Fashion Portfolio". Bloomberg. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ↑ https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/scotland/dane-of-the-highlands-is-uks-biggest-landowner-p0njlxpdp
- ↑ Middleton, Christopher (13 May 2012). "The new viking invasion". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- 1 2 Ross, David (5 June 2013). "Questions raised over land swap deal with billionaire". The Herald. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ↑ Adam Luck: How an ultra-secretive billionaire is set to be Scotland's biggest landowner, The Mail On Sunday, 19 November 2016
- ↑ Lønstrup, Dorthe (16 June 2014). "Pressesky tøj-arving med sans for nethandel og skotske jagtmarker". Politiken (in Danish). Retrieved 26 January 2015.