East Midlands’ richest people revealed
The richest people in the East Midlands have been revealed ahead of the publication of The Sunday Times Rich List 2017 this weekend.
Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley remains the region’s richest person with an estimated wealth of £2.16bn. However, Ashley’s personal wealth has dipped after he lost £270m during a tough year at Sports Direct.
Conversely, Derbyshire-based John Bloor has seen the money rolling in. His cash pile has increased by £204m over the past year to £1.454bn.
In third place is Tony Langley who owns Retford-based Langley Holdings. His fortune has shot up by £195m to £1.32bn over the last 12 months. The engineering business he runs is now worth £1.2bn.
The top 20 wealthiest individuals between them are worth £14.216bn, but the East Midlands is the only region on the Sunday Times Rich List where the richest person has seen their fortune drop.
The East Midlands boasts one other billionaire in Dunelm founder Will Adderley, while other big business names in the list include Derby County owner Mel Morris, Sir David Samworth of Samworth Brothers, Sir Paul Smith and Dr Marten owners Max and Stephen Griggs.
Robert Watts, the compiler of The Sunday Times Rich List, said: “The Midlands has long been regarded as the engine room of the UK’s economy and so it’s not surprising to see strong showings for successful manufacturers such as the local billionaires John Bloor and Tony Langley.
“But that reputation doesn’t capture the increasing diversity of our Midlands Rich List, which shows a growing number of fashion entrepreneurs including Sir Paul Smith, Leon Max and the Griggs family – famous for the iconic DM boot.
“Gone are the days when big money was usually amassed from finance, industry or a select band of other industries. Our Midlands list shows vast fortunes can even be built from computer games and pork pies.”
