Known For
Building a $17 billion hedge fund through concentrated value investing and orchestrating the controversial acquisition and restructuring of Sears Holdings during its 2018 bankruptcy.
About
Lampert launched ESL Investments in 1988 with $28 million in seed capital from Texas investor Richard Rainwater, establishing a track record of aggressive value investing that generated 46x returns by 2003. His most celebrated win came from acquiring 30% of AutoZone, where hands-on due diligence and stock buyback strategies turned a $20 per share entry into a $500-600 per share exit worth approximately $1.5 billion. After engineering the 2005 merger of Kmart and Sears, Lampert oversaw ESL's acquisition of bankrupt Sears for $5.2 billion in 2019, subsequently extracting value through spinoffs including Lands' End and the real estate-focused Seritage Growth Properties. Now operating from Miami's Indian Creek Island, Lampert continues directing ESL Investments' concentrated portfolio with approximately 15 employees, maintaining full approval authority over every investment decision.
Key Achievements
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