Top 100 Cebuano:michel Lhuillier

CEBU, Philippines — ‘Pawnshop King’

He is best known as the country’s ‘Pawnshop King’, but this French-born Cebuano businessman Michel Lhuillier is a serial entrepreneur, who has businesses in several industries from food and beverage, tourism, financial services, retail, and real estate, among others.

Michel, the founder and chairman of the M Lhuillier Group of Companies, has the most number of pawnshops bearing the M Lhuillier brand, which also champions the money service in the country branded as “M Lhuillier Kwarta Padala”.

Michel J. Lhuillier Financial Services (Pawnshops), Inc. was founded in 1992, and deals with the sale of pre-owned merchandise such as antiques and many other secondhand goods. Michel’s group of companies has since expanded to construction, real estate, restaurants, foundations and food product importation and food processing.

Married to Filipina socialite, former model, and philanthropist Amparito Llamas, Michel’s wealth stems from the business of pawning and money remittance.

Aside from business, Michel also sits as the chairman of the Cebu Provincial Sports Commission and is an honorary consul of France in Cebu.

Recently, Michel made a good contribution to Cebu’s tourism industry through the creation of the first and largest nature theme park in the Philippines, the Cebu Safari Adventure and Adventure Park in the municipality of Carmen, Cebu.

Michel and Amparito have four children, one of whom is international fashion designer Monique Lhuillier.