The Richest Europeans

Wealth bible Forbes has just released a list of the richest beings in the Old World.

Europe's richest by far is Ingvar Kamprad; the Swede is worth $31 billion.

Not a small part of it is due to his furniture and home goods company, Ikea. Before he struck fortune, a teenage Ingvar Kamprad had been a street vendor of matches, fish, and even Christmas cards. Today, Ikea has 277 stores worldwide.

Ingvar Kamprad surpasses 297 other European billionaires, the closest being Oleg Deripaska. As Russia's richest person, he claims to have a net worth of $28 billion, sourced from his massive aluminum empire.

Third on the list is Karl Albrecht, the notoriously reclusive founder of Aldi, the discount supermarket. With a $27 billion net worth, Albrecht is the richest of Germany's 59 billionaire citizens, which includes his brother Theo.

World-famous for its ritzy leather bags and TAG Heuer watches, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton makes Bernard Arnault the fourth richest European. As the largest luxury goods empire on earth, LVMH has produced for Arnault a $25.5 billion fortune.

Still, the United States floors Europe in rich residents; Ingvar Kamprad doesn't come close to Warren Buffet's fortune. It only speaks volumes of what world historians all know by now --- the US is the Land of Milk and Honey.

Ingvar Kamprad may not be as rich as his counterparts across the pond, but his rags-to-riches story certainly has no parallel this side of the earth.

Copyright © 2006-2009 Business-Figures.com, All Rights Reserved.