Bernard Arnault, the chief of LVMH, has denied that there is a ‘rift’ within his family amid succession drama at the world’s largest luxury conglomerate.
In a statement published yesterday, Arnault addressed a major investigation by French newspaper Le Monde in which the English version of the paper described his succession as ‘the elephant in the room’. The more literal translation of its original French version is ‘the poison at the heart of LVMH.’
In a six-part series, which was drip-fed to the public throughout last week, Le Monde examined the ‘rivalries’ between Arnault’s children, as well as between his second wife, Hélène Mercier, and his son-in-law, the billionaire Xavier Niel – himself an individual shareholder in Le Monde’s parent group.
[See also: Succession at the House of Arnault: who will wear the crown?]
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On the news, LVMH’s share price fell 10 per cent in the space of a single week and is still seven per cent down. The dip equates to a loss of nearly €15 billion in the value of the company overall.
In a three-page statement published in French on X by the LVMH press account yesterday and then re-shared by Arnault himself on the same platform this morning, the 77-year-old patriarch said: ‘Those who […] are betting on a rift in a family to sell newspapers […] will be waiting a long time.’
Merci : la réaction de Bernard Arnault à « l’enquête » du Monde pic.twitter.com/DylBhaXzS2
— LVMH_Presse (@LVMH_Presse) July 26, 2026
Arnault appears to have created an X account – which is verified and already followed by the likes of billionaire Bill Ackman – just before circulating the statement, which already had 2 million views at 11:50am today. Arnault’s X profile has just 2,708 followers at the time of writing.
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[See also: Who’s who in the Arnault family?]
The lengthy statement opens with the words: ‘So it seems I am the head of the “last royal family of France”’ and continues in the same ironic register. Arnault sarcastically thanks Le Monde for ‘bringing out the heavy artillery’ over its serialised account of ‘his empire,’ needling the paper for the scale of the undertaking after six months of reporting.
The final instalment of the Le Monde series centred on succession, which the paper called the family’s ‘elephant in the room’, noting that Arnault ‘deliberately raised his five children so that each one could potentially succeed him,’ and that while the family presents a united front publicly, the fight for succession continues behind the scenes.
‘Current rivalries have already started to negatively affect the group,’ the piece reads. ‘Provoking mockery and ridicule, they have weakened the empire by creating uncertainty about its future direction.’
[See also: The human angle of succession]
Elsewhere in the series, Le Monde, which is the most read national daily newspaper in France, looked at Arnault’s influence over French business, politics and media. It described him as the free-marketeer who has ‘whispered in the ear of every president,’ pointed to his ‘business-first’ approach, and noted his ties to Donald Trump as well as past connections with Vladimir Putin.
On his media holdings, the article noted: ‘Since the 1990s, the CEO of LVMH has built a small media galaxy in print and radio, which he uses to convey his ideas and tastes, but also to promote his brands.’
On his art collection, it added: ‘France’s richest man is also one of Europe’s leading art collectors. Through the Fondation Louis Vuitton, he combines his passion for the arts with highly lucrative tax arrangements.’
Arnault’s statement addresses these claims, though its tone serves to downplay their seriousness. ‘At the Arnaults’, apparently, people don’t discuss things, they plot; they don’t deliberate, they compete,’ he writes. ‘In the real world, my children run Houses, build teams, make decisions and – sacrilege – call each other on Sundays. What in an ordinary family is called a Sunday is called, in ours, a plot.’
The question of succession at the house of Arnault nonetheless remains open.
Arnault has named no successor to date, though all five of his children work within the group, and four sit on LVMH’s board. Antoine Arnault and Delphine Arnault also hold seats on the executive committee.
Asked about succession by a shareholder at LVMH’s annual general meeting in April, Arnault noted that he had been ‘renewed’ the previous year with 99 per cent support, and suggested the shareholder put the question to him again ‘in seven or eight years’.
