On Sunday, retail billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen lost three children in the attacks in Sri Lanka, according to a spokesperson for his company.
With a stake of over 26%, Holch Povlsen, the Danish entrepreneur is the biggest shareholder in British fashion retailer Asos (ASOMY) owned by his clothing company ‘Bestseller’. He also owns a 10% stake in German online retailer Zalando.
Reporting to CNN, Jesper Stubkier, Bestseller’s communication manager said, “We can confirm that Anders lost three children in the attack.”
According to Danish media, Holch Povlsen and Anne, his wife has four children. And Stubkier refrained from commenting further, citing the need “to respect the privacy of the family.”
It’s been confirmed that over 290 people have lost their lives in the wave of bombings across Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. And more than 39 of those killed came from other countries including Turkey, India, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Yet, no group has yet claimed responsibility for the blasts. After a decade of relative calm in Sri Lanka, a government minister described the coordinated bombings as a “brand new type of terrorism.”
Danish media reported that Holch Povlsen was in Sri Lanka with his family on vacation.
Since 2013, Holch Povlsen has been a member of Zalando’s (ZLNDY) supervisory board, but his interests go beyond fashion and retail. He and Anne are among the biggest private landowners in Scotland.
In 2007, the couple founded conservation and sustainable development company – Marvel – through which they’ve invested in a number of properties.
The couple says on their website that they want to restore the Scottish Highlands “to their former magnificent natural state and repair the harm that man has inflicted on them.”