Among the almost 300 victims in yesterday’s terror attack in Sri Lanka are three of Anders Holch Povlsen’s children, confirms company spokesperson Jesper Stubkier.
“Unfortunately we can confirm the reports,” Stubkier confirmed in an e-mail but declined further comments.
The Danish billionaire and his family reportedly were staying at the five-star Shangri La Hotel in Colombo, which was among the targets that included multiple hotels and churches. The New York Times reports that the Sri Lankan government blames National Thowheeth Jama’ath, a little-known radical Islamic terror organization, for the attacks.
Four days ago, an Instagram account that reportedly belongs to Holch Povlsen’s oldest daughter posted a picture of her three younger siblings, shoulder to shoulder, overlooking Sri Lankan waters with the caption “3x small vacation bosses.”
Holch Povlsen’s $7.9 billion fortune stems primarily from his nearly $4 billion (sales) retailer Bestseller, founded by his parents in 1975 in the small Danish town of Ringkobing when they opened their first store. The company today peddles apparel under 11 brand names, including Jack & Jones, Only and Vero Moda. Holch Povlsen took over at 28 and is today the sole owner.
Outside Bestseller, Holch Povlsen has also managed to build up a sizeable portfolio of tech and online retail investments, including significant stakes in Zalando, ASOS and Klarna. He also owns more than 1% of all the land in Scotland.
Anders Holch Povlsen, 46, and his wife had four children.
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