Will Alexandre Arnault succeed Bernard Arnault at LVMH, the world’s biggest luxury empire?
- At 72, Bernard Arnault is showing no signs that he’s ready to retire – but the question of who will one day succeed him looms ever larger
- Alexandre, his 29-year-old son who turned Rimowa from staid luggage manufacturer to ‘hip, sexy, collab-driven diversified company’, is a prime contender
For weeks, Alexandre Arnault, the CEO of the premium luggage brand Rimowa, was hyping up the company’s ski-themed holiday party.
Held in December 2019 in Paris, the celebration would be at a ritzy venue overlooking the hilltop district of Montmartre. Employees would compete in games to win Rimowa suitcases as prizes. A former IT employee said the boss urged everyone to go “in their best outfits”.
On the day of the party, transport workers were on strike in the city, leaving many employees to travel to the venue on foot. The former IT employee said he rented a bike and cycled to the party.
At the last minute, Alexandre – then 27 – decided he wasn’t going, citing the strikes as an excuse.
“He just sent a message like an hour before saying that he’s not going to come,” the IT employee said. “It was so weird that he didn’t come, because it was one of the biggest events for employees in Paris, and they were happy to go even though it was during the strikes.”
A former administrative employee who attended the party said: “People were disappointed, that’s for sure.”