Table of Contents
Key Points
- Johann Rupert's wealth surged back above $13 billion, recovering from a dip to $12.6 billion after Richemont's stock rally.
- Richemont's shares rose over 3.7% in a week, boosting Rupert’s stake to $8.67 billion, driving his net worth to $13 billion.
- Despite Richemont's 70% profit drop due to weaker Asia sales, growth in European and American markets helped maintain revenue stability.
After a wave of sell-offs in shares of Switzerland-based Richemont sent the company’s stock price to levels not seen since September, impacting the wealth of Johann Rupert, the luxury goods tycoon has solidified his position as South Africa’s richest man.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Rupert’s wealth has surged back above $13 billion, recovering from $12.6 billion—a remarkable $400 million rebound within just a week.
This recovery has been fueled by renewed buying interest in Richemont’s shares, the luxury conglomerate behind iconic brands like Cartier and Chloé, which has, in turn, boosted Rupert’s stake in the company.
Richemont’s rally raises Rupert’s wealth
Over the past week, Richemont's shares have risen by more than 3.7 percent to CHF123.95 ($139.6), pushing the group's market capitalization on the Zurich-based SIX Swiss Exchange to CHF66.13 billion ($75 billion).
Rupert, 74, whose holdings include 6.26 million “A” shares and 522 million “B” shares—representing about 10.18 percent of Richemont and 51 percent of its voting rights—has directly benefited from this surge.
As a result of Richemont's share price increase, the market value of Rupert's stake in the Swiss luxury conglomerate, which he chairs, has grown from $8.3 billion on Nov. 25 to $8.67 billion.
This gain has played a crucial role in lifting his net worth to $13 billion, making him the world’s 188th richest individual and the wealthiest person in South Africa, ahead of fellow billionaire Nicky Oppenheimer.
With this recent wealth boost, Johann Rupert’s year-to-date financial gains now total $639 million, driven by a more than 10 percent increase in Richemont’s share price, which has remained relatively bullish despite a decline in profits for the first half of the 2025 fiscal year.
Richemont's profit falls on weaker Asia sales, and $1.3 billion impairment
Richemont’s profit dropped nearly 70 percent, falling to €457 million ($490 million) from €1.51 billion ($1.61 billion) during the same period last year.
This decline was mainly due to weaker demand in the Asia-Pacific region and a €1.22 billion ($1.31 billion) impairment related to the sale of luxury online retailer YNAP.
While overall revenue for the luxury powerhouse, which oversees brands like Cartier and Montblanc, fell slightly by 1.4 percent to €10.08 billion ($13.03 billion), its European and American markets showed growth.
Europe's revenue rose by 4.4 percent, driven by increased tourist spending, while the Americas saw a 10.5 percent boost due to strong local demand. However, elevated operating costs in these regions helped to erode overall profit gains.
