Billionaire Solomon Lew

Overview

Solomon Lew is a billionaire Australian businessman, born on March 22, 1945, in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the chairman of Premier Investments, a retail company that owns brands such as Smiggle, Peter Alexander, Just Jeans and Portmans. Lew is known as one of Australia’s most successful retail entrepreneurs, having built a vast empire of retail brands that generate billions in revenue annually.

Early Life and Education

Lew was born into a Jewish family, and his father was a prominent businessman. He received a scholarship to study at Melbourne High School, which is one of the most prestigious schools in Australia. After high school, he went on to study commerce at the University of Melbourne, but dropped out before completing his degree.

Career and Achievements

Lew began his career in the retail industry in the 1960s, when he joined his father’s clothing business. He quickly rose through the ranks, and by the 1970s, he was running his own retail stores. His first major success came in the 1980s, when he purchased a controlling stake in Just Jeans, a struggling retailer. He turned the company around, and by the early 1990s, it had become one of the most successful fashion brands in Australia.

In 1987, Lew founded Premier Investments, which would become his flagship company. Today, Premier Investments is a publicly traded company that owns a portfolio of brands, including Smiggle, Peter Alexander and Portmans, among others. The company generates billions of dollars in revenue annually, and Lew is known for his hands-on management style and his ability to identify emerging consumer trends.

Lew has been involved in several high-profile acquisitions throughout his career. In 1998, he attempted to acquire Coles Myer, one of Australia’s largest retail conglomerates, but was ultimately unsuccessful. In 2014, he partnered with the South African retail company Woolworths Holdings to acquire the Australian department store David Jones for $2.2 billion.

Personal Life

Lew is married and has two children. He is known for his philanthropy, and has donated millions of dollars to various causes over the years. In 2015, he donated $10 million to Melbourne’s Cabrini Hospital to establish a new research and education facility.

Profile