The famous French leather goods house Hermès seems to have its future more or less assured. At a business level it is clear that they have managed to maintain themselves - in the hands of the family, too - within the luxury fashion sector, and that will be the case for the moment. Another thing is what the descendants of Thierry Hermès and other shareholders want to do with their multimillion-dollar fortune.
One of them, now in his eighties, has managed to revolutionize the European press after making a peculiar decision. The heir is organizing his affairs, and has decided that he wants to adopt one of his domestic servants to bequeath him part of his multi-billion Swiss franc fortune.
According to the Tribune de Genève, Nicolas Puech is "the largest individual shareholder in Hermès", with a stake of around 5% in the company. Single and without children, Puech intends to leave part of his fortune to this 51-year-old employee, identified as a “former gardener and maintenance personnel” of Moroccan origin. A fortune that is estimated between 9,000 and 10,000 million Swiss francs (about 9,400 and 10,400 million euros, at the current exchange rate) thanks to his shares in the prestigious French fashion brand.
A last will that Puech would have written in a document that he later sent to his lawyer. The letter, which dates from October 2022, tries to “put his succession situation in order” by explaining his intentions to bequeath part of his economic assets to this employee, but it also contains instructions for the lawyer to initiate the relevant procedures. to carry out said process. Apparently, and to avoid any type of problem in the future, the octogenarian would have decided to adopt the employee. A procedure that, according to the aforementioned newspaper, would still be “in process.”
“In Switzerland, adopting an adult is not impossible, but it is unusual,” details the newspaper, specifying that if the procedure is successful, he could inherit “at least half” of his fortune.
It must be said that Puech does not have it all with him, since his intentions are being criticized and confronted by other presumed heirs of his fortune. Apparently, in 2011, Puech signed a succession pact - more binding than a will - in favor of a Geneva-based foundation, called Isocrate, which finances projects to combat disinformation through NGOs that support journalism.
The sources consulted by the newspaper maintain that Puech communicated his intentions to the foundation through “a handwritten note” at the beginning of this year, but, according to the foundation, there is no knowledge of any changes to this agreement, regretting that "his activities of public utility" are "threatened in their sustainability" by circumstances "that are completely beyond their control".
