Rich List 2017 751-1,000
868= £ 126 m ■
MICHAEL AND CHRIS MILLER
Property and industryHarris & Sheldon, the Coventry-based industrial and property
conglomerate, owns some of Britain’s leading hunting and fishing
destinations, including Junction Pool, probably the most famous
salmon beat in Scotland. The group reeled in slightly lower profits
of £3.5m in 2015, but is valued on its £85.2m net assets. The
Miller family, led by brothers Michael, 63, and Chris, 66, owns it all.
Chris also runs the £3.2bn Melrose industrial group. New entryNANDLAL AND DEEP VALECHA
Gas services 2016: £143m, 730=CHRIS WATSON AND FAMILY
CyclingIn February last year Chain Reaction Cycles merged with rival
Wiggle to create an online bike store giant with annual revenues
of more than £300m. Mountain-biker Watson, 42, will have a
senior role in the enlarged company and his family will retain a
holding in the Co Antrim-based operation. The family stake and
any sale proceeds are worth £126m. 2016: £126m, 798875= £ 125 m ■
ADELE
Music See panel, page 73BILL ARCHER
DIYArcher, a co-founder of the Crewe-based Focus DIY chain, is
now involved in the property market, committing £50m through
Mayfair’s Farm Street Capital. Archer, 73 yesterday, remortgaged
his home in 1987 to buy six DIY stores and created Focus, picking
up £147m when the firm was taken over. 2016: £125m, 799=HARRY BANKS AND FAMILY
MiningAmong the few still making money from coalmining, Banks, 76,
is chief executive and chairman of the £120m Banks Group in
Co Durham. It showed a £27.6m profit on £101.2m sales in 2014-15,
with assets up £20m to more than £68m. 2016: £105m, 936=GRAHAME CHILTON
Insurance 2016: £125m, 799=MICHAEL COWAN AND FAMILY
FinanceCowan, 64, was one of the beneficiaries of a £92m payday last
year at Silchester International Investors. The Mayfair-based
operation was co-founded with Stephen Butt (qv) in 1994 and
owns a large part of the supermarket giant WM Morrison. The
business manages assets of £24bn and profits came in at £74.7m
in 2015-16. Along with the Cowan family’s £100m stake, there is
pay, dividends and other interests that add £25m. New entryEDWARD FAITH AND FAMILY
Travel 2016: £125m, 799=WARREN HASKINS AND FAMILY
Garden centres and retailingHarry Haskins founded a garden nursery in Poole in 1882. Today
his great-grandson Warren, 68, chairs Haskins Garden Centres,
which employs 600 staff and has four of the largest horticultural
outlets in the country. In 2015-16 profits bloomed to £4.6m on
sales of £31.6m and assets grew to £28.8m. The family enjoyed a
windfall when it sold Hobbycraft for £100m. 2016: £115m, 862=HUGH IRVINE AND FAMILY
Cheese 2016: £125m, 799=UZI KATTAN
Travel 2016: £125m, 799=DAVID AND RICHARD KNIGHT
Business services 2016: £110m, 885=MARTIN LEWIS
Internet and mediaHe has been described as the man who has saved UK consumers
more cash than anyone. Having set up Money saving expert.com
in 2003 for £100, Lewis, 44, sold it to Moneysupermarket.com in
an £87m deal in 2012. He grew up in Manchester and trained as a
journalist, spotting a gap for advice on everything from insurance
to mobile phone deals. He is married to TV host Lara Lewington,
38 on Wednesday, and is a generous donor to charity. New entryTOM AND STEPHEN MARTIN AND FAMILY
Safety equipmentTurning hi-vis into high value, Arco is the UK’s leading supplier of
safety clothing and equipment. The Hull-based firm made record
£17.3m profits on £283.2m sales in 2014-15. Brothers Tom, 81, and
Stephen, 77, have another £5m assets. 2016: £125m, 799=BRIAN MAY
MusicQueen Productions paid more than £80m to the band, including
Roger Taylor (qv), in the 10 years to 2015. Hampton-born May, 69,
who is married to actress Anita Dobson, has developed a virtual
reality viewer with his London Stereoscopic Company. His new
album, Golden Days, came out last month. 2016: £120m, 831=MARK POOLE
Hedge fund 2016: £125m, 799=THE DUKE OF ROXBURGHE
LandWind power is making Roxburghe, 62, a sizeable sum. BT buys
half the electricity generated by the 48-turbine Fallago Rig array,
built on his land in the Lammermuir Hills. In 1974 he inherited
65,500 acres and Floors Castle in the Borders, Scotland’s largest
inhabited castle. The estate is home to the 10th Duke’s stud. He
sold the foal that was produced by his mare Attraction and the
peerless Frankel last year for £1.7m. 2016: £125m, 799=EARL SPENCER
Land and artA bouncy castle now adorns Althorp, the Spencer ancestral
home in Northamptonshire, for use by the earl’s four-year-old
daughter, Lady Charlotte Diana. Spencer, 53 later this month, is
overseeing a renovation project. His Spencer Enterprises
operation had assets of £1.6m in 2015-16. 2016: £125m, 799=891= £ 124 m ■
TREVOR AND NIGEL GREEN
FilmsLondon film distributor and DVD company the Entertainment
Group returned to profit in 2014-15, recording a surplus of £4.6m
on sales of £49.7m after a loss of more than £8.2m the year
before. Owned by brothers Trevor, 63, and Nigel, 60, the business
is easily worth its £87.1m net assets. 2016: £124m, 823=BRUCE ROBERTSON AND FAMILY
Discount stores“There are three tenets to our business model: price, price and
price,” says Brexit-supporting Robertson, 64, of Trago Mills. It calls
itself the “southwest’s original discount retailer”. There are outlets
in Newton Abbot, Falmouth and in Liskeard, where it is based.
Profits fell to £2.5m on £72m sales in 2015. 2016: £120m, 831=JEREMY WOOLRIDGE AND FAMILY
Metals 2016: £140m, 734=894= £ 123 m ■
PHILIP BURGAN
Pharmacies and care homesBurgan, 65, has an £82m stake in Leeds-based care home group
Maria Mallaband, which has more than 70 premises across
Britain, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, and also owns
sister operation Countrywide. There is other wealth. New entryMAKING A SPLASH:
MICHAEL AND
CHRIS MILLER
Entry 868=, £126mTV COUPLE:
MARTIN LEWIS
Entry 875=, £125m“We dared
believe,
and now it’s
happened,
the dawn
of a new
beginning
for our
once proud
country”
BRUCE ROBERTSON134 • thesundaytimes.co.uk/richlist