A descendant of the Hermès luxury goods empire is reportedly planning to adopt his former gardener so he can bequeath him at least half of his $13 billion fortune.
Hermès is a luxury French fashion house, founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermès. Its initial specialisation lay in accessories and leather goods, given its inception as a harness and saddle manufacturer, but is now mainly known for its luxury handbags, silk scarves and ties.
Today, Nicolas Puech, 80, a fifth-generation descendant of Thierry Hermès, has begun the legal process of formally adopting the 51-year-old former gardener and handyman, according to media reports, so that he can bequeath him a big chunk of his fortune.
Mr Puech, who lives in 'tax friendly' Switzerland, is thought to be Hermès’ largest individual shareholder with a stake of around 6 percent and, with the company currently valued at around $233 billion, makes his shares worth at least $13 billion.
Single and childless, the multibillionaire has decided to “turn his fortune upside down” by passing on part of his wealth to his former employee from “a modest Moroccan family”, according to the Tribune de Genève.
The newspaper said the unnamed Moroccan man is married to a woman of Spanish origin with two children, and that Mr Puech refers to them as his “children”, “daughter-in-law” and “adopted son”.
It is said that he was particularly touched at the way they looked after him during the Covid pandemic.
As is often the case when vast fortunes aren't handled the way others expect, there's likely to be a whole raft of legal battles about this one. Be that as it may, it's probable that a humble gardener and his family will likely become fabulously wealthy at some point thanks to their kindness and support for the reclusive billionaire.