Money at the level of Leslie "Les" Wexner isn’t just a bank balance; it’s a living, breathing ecosystem of retail history, massive real estate holdings, and an art collection that would make some national museums blush. Honestly, when people look up the Les Wexner net worth, they usually expect a static number. But in early 2026, the reality is a bit more fluid.
We’re talking about a man who basically invented the modern American mall.
Currently, Wexner’s net worth hovers around $8.9 billion to $9.2 billion, depending on which ticker you're watching. It’s a staggering sum for someone who started with a single store in a Columbus, Ohio suburb back in the 60s. But getting to that nine-billion-dollar mark wasn't a straight line. It involved high-stakes gambles, the messy breakup of a retail empire, and a very public personal fallout that forced him to retreat from the spotlight he dominated for decades.
The Retail Roots: How $5,000 Became Billions
You’ve got to appreciate the audacity of the start. In 1963, Wexner borrowed $5,000 from his aunt to open "The Limited." He had this hunch that focusing only on fast-moving items like dresses and skirts—rather than everything a general store sold—was the future. He was right.
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By the time the 1980s rolled around, he was the king of retail. He bought Victoria’s Secret for a million dollars when it was just a failing chain of five stores. Think about that for a second. He turned a $1 million investment into a brand that, at its peak, defined global beauty standards and generated billions in annual revenue.
His wealth isn't just tied to lingerie, though. Over the years, his portfolio has included:
- Abercrombie & Fitch (which he took public in 1996)
- Bath & Body Works (the current crown jewel of his former empire)
- Express and Lane Bryant
- The Limited (the namesake that started it all)
While he stepped down as CEO and Chairman of L Brands in 2020, he didn't just walk away empty-handed. He still holds significant equity, and the subsequent split of L Brands into two separate public companies—Bath & Body Works (BBWI) and Victoria's Secret & Co. (VSCO)—actually helped stabilize his fortune as the markets reacted to the leaner, more focused business models.
The $2 Billion AI Surprise
Here is something most people don't realize about the Les Wexner net worth story: he’s a surprisingly savvy tech investor. In late 2025, reports surfaced that Wexner had netted roughly $2 billion in just a matter of months through a stake in CoreWeave, a specialized cloud provider that has become the backbone of the AI boom.
It’s a wild pivot. The guy who got rich selling cotton sweaters and floral lotions is now making bank off the GPUs powering ChatGPT and its rivals. This "AI windfall" is a huge reason why his net worth has remained so resilient even after he moved into "Chairman Emeritus" territory. It shows that even at 88, his "sixth sense" for where the money is moving hasn't totally faded.
Real Estate and the "New Albany" Factor
If you want to see where the money is "hidden," you have to look at New Albany, Ohio. Wexner didn't just build a house there; he basically built the town. His primary estate is a 60,000-square-foot Georgian-style mansion that sits on hundreds of acres.
But it’s not just the house.
He owns a massive amount of commercial and residential land through his development companies. Then there’s the Limitless, his 315-foot superyacht. For years, it was one of the largest private vessels in the world. Maintaining a boat like that costs millions per year—literally just to keep the engines humming and the staff paid—which gives you an idea of the kind of liquidity he maintains.
The Elephant in the Room: The Epstein Connection
It’s impossible to talk about Wexner’s finances without mentioning the late Jeffrey Epstein. For nearly two decades, Epstein was Wexner's personal money manager. He had power of attorney over Wexner’s entire fortune.
While Wexner has stated he "severed ties" with Epstein in 2007 and was "embarrassed" by the relationship, the legal fallout has been expensive. Between internal investigations at L Brands, settlements, and the PR cost to his brands, this era of his life definitely put a dent in his "social capital," even if the raw numbers on his balance sheet kept climbing.
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Where the Money Goes Now
These days, Wexner is focused on legacy. The Wexner Foundation and the Wexner Center for the Arts are the primary vehicles for his spending. He’s donated hundreds of millions to The Ohio State University, particularly to their medical center (which bears his name).
His art collection is another "dark" asset. It's widely known among experts that he owns masterpieces by Picasso, Matisse, and Degas. These aren't just decorations; they are high-value assets that appreciate differently than the S&P 500. If he were to auction off his private gallery tomorrow, we might see the Les Wexner net worth jump by another several hundred million dollars instantly.
Actionable Insights for Investors
Looking at how Wexner built and maintained his wealth offers a few real-world lessons, even if you don't have billions:
- Concentration builds wealth, but diversification preserves it. Wexner went "all in" on retail to make his first billion, but he used real estate and private equity (like the CoreWeave deal) to ensure he stayed a billionaire.
- Brand sentiment is a financial metric. The decline of Victoria’s Secret’s valuation in the late 2010s proved that if a brand loses touch with cultural shifts, no amount of historical success can save the stock price.
- Real estate is the ultimate hedge. By owning the land his developments sat on, Wexner created a safety net that existed independently of his retail success.
Whether you view him as a retail genius or a controversial figure from a bygone era, the numbers don't lie. Les Wexner remains one of the most successful—and complex—financial architects in American history.
To track his wealth accurately moving forward, keep a close eye on Bath & Body Works (BBWI) stock performance and any further filings regarding his private tech investments, as these are now the primary drivers of his daily net worth fluctuations.