Billionaire Billa founder to marry aged 94

Billionaire supermarket and property tycoon Karl Wlaschek, 94, has unveiled plans to marry in a few days, saying jokingly that he hopes to have more children.

Wlaschek, who according to Forbes is worth an estimated 4.4 billion euros from the founding of the Billa supermarket chain and a property business, announced at the weekend that he was to marry girlfriend Ricki Schenk.

Wlaschek is the second richest man in Austria after Red Bull energy drink billionaire Dieter Mateschitz. Asked why he was getting married now, he said he wanted to have more children – “I would say another five or six children, at the very least.”

The engagement was announced at the weekend at the five-star Schlosshotels in Velden which Wlaschek owns and where he was also the guest of honour.

Girlfriend Ricki, who declined to reveal her age, confirmed: “The wedding will take place in the next few days.”

Wlaschek already has four children and four previous marriages to his name. The wedding to widow Ricki, who has no children, will be his fifth marriage.

Asked if the rumours about more children being planned were true she said with a laugh: “I am not sure, after all I am not so young any more.”

The couple met at an event in Vienna and they realised that his last wife and her former husband had both died on the same day.