World's Richest Man Pays $15.5M For Manhattan Townhouse

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim bought a townhouse in midtown Manhattan that will be used for office space, extending his purchases of real estate in the city as property values increase. A limited liability company set up by Slim paid $15.5 million in cash for the property, according to a person with knowledge of the transaction. The seller was Felissimo Corp., a Japanese designer and seller of household goods, cosmetics and accessories, according to the company's broker, Faith Hope Consolo of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate in New York. Felissimo, which owned the building for more than 20 years, was negotiating a lease agreement with a luxury retailer and instead received a purchase offer, said Consolo.