Olav Thon

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Olav Thon
Thon in 2013
Born	(1923-06-29) 29 June 1923 (age 100) Ål, Hallingdal, Norway
Occupation	Real Estate Developer
Employer	Olav Thon Gruppen
Title	Chairman of Olav Thon Gruppen
Spouse	Sissel Berdal Haga ​ (m. 2019)​

Olav Thon (born 29 June 1923) is a Norwegian real estate developer. His Olav Thon Group is Norway's largest private real estate company, with 450 properties, including 60 hotels.^[1][2]

His authorized biography, Olav Thon: Billionaire in a Parka, was written by Hallgrim Berg, a Norwegian politician and a folk musician; a translated version was published in English in October 2009.^[3]

Business

Olav Thon bought his first building in 1951 and opened his first restaurant in 1966. His company owns a total of 450 properties in Norway, including shopping malls, office buildings, retail stores, and hotels. His principal holdings are the private companies Stormgård AS and Thongård AS, in addition to a major stake in the publicly traded company Olav Thon Eiendomsselskap ASA.^[1]

Besides his hotel and real estate investments, in 1992, Olav Thon has acquired Unger Fabrikker AS. Unger Fabrikker AS is a Fredrikstad based chemical manifacturer with a focus of anionic surfactants.^{[4] [5]}

Trust

In an article in the Norwegian newspaper

Thon has no heirs.[1]

Personal life

Thon lives just outside Oslo, in Sollihøgda, Hole municipality. Thon is a Christian and is married but does not have any heirs.^[9][10] He grew up as a "farm boy who only went to the city to sell fox pelts". He enjoys various outdoor activities and is an honorary member of the Norwegian Trekking Association.^[1] Thon is "proud of his success, and his large tax bill, which he says he is glad to pay".^[1]

Thon was appointed honorary doctorate at Karlstad University in 2013.^[11]

Thon was married to Inger-Johanne Thon (1 August 1919 - 26 April 2018)^[12] until her death in 2018. Although he lived with his partner, Sissel Berdal Haga, for over 30 years, he did not divorce his wife, as she was suffering from Alzheimers.^[13]

Thon married his long-time partner, Sissel Berdal Haga on 21 June 2019.^[14]

On 29 June 2023, Thon turned 100.^[15]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "#198 Olav Thon". The World's Billionnaires. Forbes. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
2. ^ "Tobacco heir emerges as Norway’s wealthiest", Aftenposten, October 19, 2006.
3. ISBN 978-0942323436
   .
4. ^ https://unger.no/about-unger/history/
5. ^ https://olavthon.no/om-Olav-Thon-Gruppen/Virksomheter/Ovrige-Virksomheter/
6. ^ Thon set to give away his fortune, The Norway Mail, September 10, 2008.
7. ^ "Gir alt til stiftelse" (in Norwegian). nenyheter. 2013-12-10.
8. ^ "Bill Gates Tops Forbes List of Billionaires for Seventh Year". Bloomberg. February 26, 2004.
9. ^ DagenMagazinet - Olav Thon om kristen arbeidsetikk
10. ^ "Norge IDAG - Thon til Oslo Symposium". Archived from the original on 2015-04-05. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
11. ^ Radio, Sveriges. "Nye hedersdoktorn Olav Thon slår tillbaka mot kritiken - P4 Värmland". Retrieved 2017-08-26.
12. ^ https://www.nettavisen.no/nyheter/innenriks/olav-thons-kone-inger-johanne-thon-er-dod/s/12-95-3423482056
13. ^ "Olav Thon: Derfor har han hatt både kone og kjæreste i over tretti år" (in Norwegian). Nettavisen. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
14. ^ "Mann og kone: Olav Thon (95) har sagt ja til Sissel Berdal Haga (78)" (in Norwegian). E24. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
15. ^ "Olav Thon fyller 100 år: – Uten ham hadde vi ikke vært noen ting". nrk.no (in Norwegian). 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.

Further reading

• ISBN 978-0942323436
  .

External links

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