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Who is Daren Metropoulos, the new owner of the Playboy Mansion?
Is the snack food heir the next Hugh Hefner or a savvy real estate investor?
In June, the troubled Playboy Mansion, which was listed for a shocking $200 million, sold for $100 million. But to whom? It soon became clear that the new owner was Daren Metropoulos, a man who had made his fortune off Twinkies, Chef Boyardee, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and Bumble Bee tuna.
According to the New York Times, very little else is known about Metropoulos, except that he lived next door to the Playboy Mansion, made a fortune when he sold Pabst Brewing for $700 million in 2014 and that he was a frequent guest of the mansion.
“He’s not some bratty billionaire’s son in any way, shape or form,” said Andrew van der Vord, co-head of consumer investment at Royal Bank of Canada. “Daren is a quiet, unassuming guy. He’s very polite and considerate. There’s a really nice demeanor to him, actually.”
“I assure you, his interest in the Playboy Mansion is very pure. He’s not the new Hugh Hefner. That’s just silly,” Bill Toler, the chief executive of Hostess, told the Times.
The official line is that Metropoulos wants to restore the rundown property to its “former glory” – something he has done in the past with high-end properties. And rumors have now even surfaced that he could take over Playboy itself, which has been for sale. [NYT] –Christopher Cameron