Michael Lewis (businessman)

Last updated

Michael Lewis
Born1959 (age 6465)
South Africa
NationalitySouth African and British
Education University of Cape Town
OccupationBusinessman
TitleChairman, Foschini Group
Spouses
Leola Lewis
(m. 1985,divorced)
(m. 2021)
Children4
Relatives

Michael Lewis (born 1959) is a South African-born British businessman in the fashion industry, and chairman of Foschini Group.

Contents

Early life

Lewis earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Cape Town. [1]

In the 1930s, his grandfather Meyer Lewis founded the Lewis furniture retail chain, and in the 1980s, his father Stanley Lewis acquired a controlling stake in Foschini Group. [2]

Career

Lewis has been chairman of Foschini Group since 2015. [1] [2]

In October 2019, Lewis invested $8 million in direct-to-consumer luggage brand July. [3]

He is an independent director at Histogenics Corporation, a partner at Oceana Investment Partners LLP, chairman at Oceana Investment Corp Ltd, and chairman at Strandbags Holdings Pty Ltd. He is on the board of directors at Histogenics Corp, Oceana Capital Partners LLP, Oceana Fund Managers (Jersey) Ltd., United Trust Bank Ltd., and Oceana Concentrated Opportunities Fund Ltd. [1]

Personal life

Lewis moved to London in the 1980s. [2] In 1985, he married Leola. [4] They have three adult children, and are now divorced. [2] [5] [4]

Lewis is Jewish, and in 2011, his family donated £3 million to the University of Oxford to fund the appointment of a Professor of Israel Studies. [2]

In January 2020, his engagement to English fashion model, Lady Kitty Spencer, was announced. [5] They married on 24 July 2021 at the Villa Aldobrandini in Rome. [6] Lewis and Spencer have one daughter, Athena, together. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana, Princess of Wales</span> Member of the British royal family (1961–1997)

Diana, Princess of Wales was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her activism and glamour, which made her an international icon, earned her enduring popularity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marks & Spencer</span> Major British multinational department store company

Marks and Spencer plc is a major British multinational retailer based in London, England, that specialises in selling clothing, beauty products, home products and food products. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

The Franklin Mint is a private mint founded by Joseph Segel in 1964 in Wawa, Pennsylvania. The building is in Middletown Township.

Peregrine Andrew Morny Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire,, is an English peer. He is the only surviving son of Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire, and his wife, the former Deborah Mitford. He succeeded to the dukedom following the death of his father on 3 May 2004. Before his succession, he was styled Earl of Burlington from 1944 until 1950 and Marquess of Hartington between 1950 and 2004. His immediate family are owner-occupiers of Chatsworth House with an estimated net worth of £910 million, and own large estates in Derbyshire, North Yorkshire and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer</span> British peer and the father of Diana, Princess of Wales (1924–1992)

Edward John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer,, styled Viscount Althorp until June 1975, was a British nobleman, military officer, and courtier. He was the father of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the maternal grandfather of William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer</span> British peer and the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales (born 1964)

Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer,, styled Viscount Althorp between 1975 and 1992, is a British peer, author, journalist, and broadcaster. He is the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the maternal uncle of William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasper Conran</span> British fashion designer

Jasper Alexander Thirlby Conran is a British designer. He has worked on collections of womenswear and for the home, as well as productions for the stage in ballet, opera and theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India Hicks</span> British designer, writer and businesswoman

India Amanda Caroline Hicks is a British designer, writer, businesswoman and former fashion model. After graduating from the New England School of Photography, Hicks became an interior designer and a model for Ralph Lauren, among others. She moved to the Bahamas in 1996, where she published books, promoted home and beauty products, and introduced a line of jewellery. Hicks travels frequently to disaster sites in her role with the non-profit organisation Global Empowerment Mission. A daughter of Lady Pamela Hicks, she is a maternal descendant of the House of Mountbatten and a relative of the British royal family.

Lady Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia McCorquodale is one of the two older sisters of Diana, Princess of Wales, the other being Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes. For a short period of time, she dated Prince Charles before introducing him to her sister Diana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raine Spencer, Countess Spencer</span> British socialite and local politician (1929–2016)

Raine Spencer, Countess Spencer was a British socialite and local politician. She was the daughter of Alexander McCorquodale and the romantic novelist and socialite Barbara Cartland and the stepmother of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Kevin P. Ryan is an American investor and entrepreneur who has founded several New York–based businesses, including Gilt Groupe, Business Insider and MongoDB. Ryan helped grow DoubleClick from 1996 to 2005, first as president and later as CEO. Ryan continues to found and invest in companies through AlleyCorp, a venture capital firm he founded with Dwight Merriman in 2008. He holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from INSEAD.

Nick Leslau, born 18 August 1959, is an English commercial property investor, with an estimated net worth of £400 million. Leslau is chairman and chief executive of Prestbury Investment Holdings Limited, and chairman of Prestbury Investments LLP. He is a 30 percent shareholder in Prestbury's AIM listed Secure Income REIT, which owns tourist attraction venues such as Thorpe Park, Warwick Castle, and Alton Towers on a long-term lease to Merlin Entertainments. Secure Income REIT also owns 20 private hospitals and 55 Travelodge hotels in the UK.

Cristina Stuart Green, Lady Green, known as Tina Green, is an English businesswoman and interior designer. Green is the director of Taveta, the majority owner of Taveta Investments Ltd, the parent company of the Arcadia Group, of which her husband, Sir Philip Green, is chairman. The Arcadia Group owned the clothing retail chains Topshop and Topman, as well as Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Outfit, and Wallis. Taveta owned British Homes Stores (BHS) before its 2015 sale. BHS was placed into administration in 2016, and the Arcadia Group was placed into administration in 2020. Green formed the interior design company Green & Mingarelli with the Italian designer Pietro Mingarelli.

Catherine Victoria Aitken, formerly Victoria, Countess Spencer, is a British former fashion model and former wife of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bal des débutantes</span> French debutante ball

Le Bal des Débutantes, also known simply as "le Bal", is a debutante ball and fashion event held annually in November in Paris, bringing together between 20 and 25 debutantes aged 16 to 22 from many countries, together with their parents and a similar number of young men. It started as a social event and was first held in the Orangery of the Château de Versailles on 10 July 1958.

Lady Catherine “Kitty” Eleanor Lewis is a British model and aristocrat. She is the eldest child of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, niece of Diana, Princess of Wales and the first cousin of William, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Spencer is the spokesmodel for jewellery brand Bulgari and fashion company Dolce & Gabbana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashion of Diana, Princess of Wales</span> Describes the fashion and style of Diana, Princess of Wales

The fashion of Diana, Princess of Wales, had a substantial impact on the clothing industry; her style in the 1980s and 1990s led her to be considered a fashion icon.

Retail Apparel Group is an Australian and New Zealand clothing retail company, wholly owned by the Foschini Group. The company operates stores under the Tarocash, Connor, yd., Johnny Bigg, Rockwear and AXL+Co brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strandbags</span> Australian and New Zealand retailer

Strand, or the Strandbags Group, is an Australian and New Zealand retailer of handbags, wallets, luggage, backpacks and other personal accessories. The chain has over 234 stores around Australia. It also has 26 stores in New Zealand. It owns the private label brands Evity and Nere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warm & Wonderful</span> British clothing company

Warm & Wonderful Knitwear is a British fashion brand specialising in knitwear. Founded by Joanna Osborne and Sally Muir in 1979, the label is best known for its "black sheep" sweater, famously worn by Diana, Princess of Wales. In 2023, a Warm & Wonderful jumper worn by Diana became the most valuable sweater in history.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Foschini Group Ltd. TFG (South Africa)". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Princess Diana's 29–year old niece is marrying the 60-year old chairperson of Foschini - here's what you need to know about Michael Lewis' career". Business Insider. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  3. McIlvaine, Heather (15 October 2019). "Strandbags owner invests $8 million in luggage startup". Inside Retail. Octomedia.
  4. 1 2 "Lady Kitty Spencer, 29, is to wed fashion tycoon Michael Lewis, 60". The New Zealand Herald . 4 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  5. 1 2 Cope, Rebecca (6 January 2020). "Lady Kitty Spencer is engaged to her fashion tycoon boyfriend". Tatler. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  6. Tregaskes, Chandler (25 July 2021). "Dolce & Gabbana on creating Lady Kitty Spencer's stunning wedding dress". Tatler. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  7. Johnston, Harriet (10 March 2024). "'It's a joy to be your mummy': Lady Kitty Spencer, Princess Diana's niece, surprises fans by revealing she has had a baby in gushing Mother's Day post". Tatler. Retrieved 10 March 2024.