Bloomberg (Aug. 4) — Germany’s Guenther Fielmann made his fortune by giving away basic eyeglasses with an eye exam. For fellow countryman Siegfried Meister, the best bet was selling his Rational AG food-preparation appliances to hotels and restaurants rather than to consumers.
France’s Elisabeth Badinter, who inherited her stake in Publicis Groupe after the death of her father, advertising mogul Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, retained Publicis Chairman and CEO Maurice Levy. He has orchestrated the company’s growth into the world’s third-largest advertising firm.
Canadian Eric Sprott bet on gold in the early 2000s, well before its surge to more than $1,600 an ounce in early August. Moroccan real estate mogul Anas Sefrioui snagged a deal in 1995 to build affordable homes outside Casablanca.
–With assistance from Aida Alami in Casablanca, Matthew Campbell in Paris, Holger Elfes in Dusseldorf, Devon Pendleton in New York and Matt Walcoff in Toronto. Editors: Gail Roche, Jonathan Neumann
