 | ||
The Chirathivat family (Thai: จิราธิวัฒน์, [tɕìrāːtʰíwát]) is a Thai family of Chinese descent. The family was headed by Tiang Chirathivat (1905–1968), who migrated to Siam from Hainan and settled in Bangkok in 1927. Tiang had three wives and twenty-five children. Today his descendants jointly own and manage the Central Group, and are ranked third on Forbes' list of Thailand's fifty richest. The Chirathivat family owns numerous mega-sized department stores across Thailand as well as the well known Centara Hotel brand. The Chirathivat family recently bought the upscale Italian department store chain, La Rinascente, for a reputed US$291 million. The purchase was announced in May 2011 by Tos Chirathivat, a Central Group executive.
Despite their status as one of Thailand's wealthiest families, the Chirathivat family is also notable for its large size, comprising several subsidiary families. Each of these families holds individual stakes and claims in the business empire, resulting in the relative diffusion of wealth among specific family members. The opaque corporate structure, obscure nature of accounts and the intertwining as well as complex nature of subsidiary family interests in certain holdings renders any individual calculation of wealth uncertain.
