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Active house

Wertheimer family

Chanel · France · founded 1924

Chanel's owners since financing Coco Chanel's perfume business in the 1920s; the company remains private.

Family fortune

$79B

Bloomberg Family Index, as of 2025-12-31

Generations

4

Documented members

4

Industries

Luxury goods, Thoroughbred racing

Founders, principals and heirs

  • Pierre Wertheimer

    Founder · generation 1 · 1888–1965

    Financed Parfums Chanel in 1924.

  • Alain Wertheimer

    Principal · generation 3 · 1948–

    Chairman of Chanel.

  • Gérard Wertheimer

    Principal · generation 3 · 1951–

    Co-owner, oversees watches.

  • David Wertheimer

    Heir · generation 4 · 1979–

    Next-generation shareholder.

Legacy

Ownership passed intact through four generations without an IPO.

Evidentiary standard

Family fortunes are only recorded where a named wealth desk publishes a standing family-level estimate; the source and valuation date are shown with the figure. Houses whose assets are held through charitable trusts, foundations, or sovereign vehicles carry no figure, because no verifiable personal total exists. Lineage entries are limited to publicly documented family members.