Bernard Arnault, head of LVMH, has a net worth larger than those of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. WSJ’s Nick Kostov explains how the French business magnate amassed his fortune and how he plans to keep that wealth under family control. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesPARIS— LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has agreed to buy Los Angeles-based eyewear maker Barton Perreira , part of the luxury conglomerate’s push to extend its reach to goods with mass-market appeal. Eyewear has emerged in recent years as one of the first purchases that aspiring luxury consumers make before moving on to more expensive items such as handbags. That is prompting LVMH and other luxury-goods companies to wean themselves off licensing agreements with third-party manufacturers and develop in-house eyewear operations.

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Persons: Bernard Arnault, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Nick Kostov, Nicholas Kamm, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Barton Perreira, LVMH Organizations: Agence France, PARIS Locations: Los Angeles