THE billionaire behind online clothing retailer Asos and one of the UK's largest private landowners lost three of his four children in the Sri Lanka terror attacks.

Anders Holch Povlsen, 46, is Denmark's wealthiest man and with his wife Anne holds more than 200,000 acres of the Scottish Highlands.

They set up the company Wildland in 2007 with the stated aim of restoring and conserving landscapes for future generations.

Jesper Stubkier, a spokesman for Holch Povlsen's wholesale fashion business Bestseller, said the couple lost three children in the Easter Sunday attacks.

He declined to comment on the identity of the children and it was not clear in which of the series of blasts they lost their lives.

READ MORE: Sri Lanka attack: Father confirms wife and children among eight British victims

Holch Povlsen has a net worth of $7.9 billion (£6.1 billion), according to Forbes.

The businessman owns the international clothing chain Bestseller and is the biggest single shareholder in fashion retailer Asos.

He and his wife have acquired several Highland estates over the years, including Glenfeshie in the Cairngorms, Strathmore in Sutherland and Braeroy in Fort William.

READ MORE: Sri Lankan officials 'failed to heed warnings' of extremist attack

On the Wildland website, Holch Povlsen writes: "From our home at Glenfeshie, both Anne and myself – our children and our parents too – have long enjoyed a deep connection with this magnificent landscape."

He describes the couple's responsibilities as landowners as a "labour of love", adding: "It is a project that we know cannot be realised in our lifetime, which will bear fruit not just for our own children but also for the generations of visitors who, like us, hold a deep affection the Scottish Highlands."