West Midlands wealthiest are getting richer – report
THE RICHEST people in the West Midlands increased their wealth by £1bn over the past year, according to the annual Rich List report.
The report, published by The Birmingham Post this morning, estimates the combined wealth of the 50 people it lists at £21.7 bn, with Staffordshire-born Kirsty Bertelli heading the list for the third time.
Ms Bertarelli, who is said to be worth £5.5bn, married Italian biotechnology tycoon Ernnesto Bertarelli in 2000, immediately becoming the UK’s richest woman.
Several high-profile regional business figures make the list, including Phone 4U founder John Cauldwell (ranked number two with a £1.5bn fortune), JCB’s Sir Anthony Bamford (number three, £1bn), and Stoke City chairman Peter Coates at number nine (£500m).
Other business figures on the list include Sir Peter Rigby, owner of Specialist Computers, veteran Black Country developer Roy Richardson, Coleshill-based Lord Edminston, and husband and wife Ranjit and Baljinder Boparan – owners of food group 2 Sisters and currently locked in a takeover battle with Northern Foods.
While entrepreneurs and property owners dominate the list, three West Midlands musicians make the cut – Ozzy Osbourne, Robert Plant and Robbie Williams.
