Page 3 - Yorkshire Rich List 2017

YORKSHIRE
2017
Forget all the talk of the Brexit impact or economic uncertainty. If you’re at the top of the wealth pile things
are going pre y well. The richest people in Yorkshire have increased their combined fortunes and are heading towards the £20bn mark according to the 2017 Yorkshire Post Rich List.
There’s winners and losers of course, but those involved in construction, property, manufacturing, logistics and food have all seen an increase in their wealth over the last year, or at the very least they have protected their position. One of our biggest winners is Huddersfield-born Richard Harpin whose Homeserve household insurance business is taking America by storm.
Retail is struggling nationwide as life on the high street gets tougher and the online/offline ba le between bricks and clicks continues. But some of our Yorkshire retailers
are bucking the trend. Sir Malcolm Walker’s Iceland chain
is growing as is Doug Gregory’s Barnsley furniture maker Symphony and John Co on’s Leeds-based bedding business.
And on the subject of retail, in 2017 we lost one of the stalwarts of the supermarket world Sir Ken Morrison, who passed away in February aged 85.
The entrepreneurship of Yorkshire people and the hard gra and determination of those who were born here or have chosen to make our county their home have combined to ensure that the money keeps rolling in for the county’s wealthiest individuals and families.
For many on our list, life has been a story of risk-taking and a desire to be er themselves. Many came from a humble background, but have used their talents, combined with hard work, to join the exclusive club of multi- millionaires. Many started life toiling in the mines, the mills and the markets, but have fought their way outwards and upwards.
In fact only two people in our league table of the 50 super-rich
has inherited their fortune through ancestral accident. This list is a story of entrepreneurs who, through extraordinary talent, a great idea, or hard work have reaped the reward of enviable wealth.
Another striking feature
which crops up year a er year is philanthropy, with most on our list
giving generously to charities and good causes, much of it locally.
The amassed fortunes of our richest 50 add to up to a remarkable total of £18.188bn, which is an increase on last year. The region again has its quartet of billionaires – Robert Miller, Lord Kirkham, the Healey brothers and the oldest person on our list, 98 year-old Jacques Murray.
Property remains the biggest source of wealth, either building it, investing in it or selling it. Eddie and Malcolm Healey, Paul Sykes, Terry Bramall, Roderick Evans, John Guthrie and Paul Caddick have all got rich through wise property investment. Jacques Murray and Chris Rea fly the flag for manufacturing while Duncan Davidson, Irving Weaver and the Shepherd family represent construction.
The entry price for making the list is high. You’ll need a personal fortune of at least £105m to qualify for a place in the list.
We have some new entrants this year – the highest being the new owner of Leeds United, Italian Andrea Radrizzani. Stephen and Paul Harrison of Leeds-based housebuilder Harron Homes make the list, as does influential financier, Ripon-born Amanda Staveley.
Again there are few women in our list. Julie Heselden, Barbara Taylor Bradford and Amanda Staveley are listed in their own right, while Nichola Pease, Janet Hoyle and Lesley Wild are jointly listed. However it is fair to say that many have made their fortunes with the indispensable help of their partners.
A word about the rules of engagement for the 2017 Yorkshire Post Rich List: In assessing who goes into the list and who stays out there is inevitably some subjectivity involved, and we can only work from publicly available
information. We do not have access to private bank accounts. We looked at the
personal wealth, property interests, shareholdings, company valuations,
asset valuations, liabilities, and other known wealth of people who either
live and/or work in the county
of Yorkshire, or were born or brought up here, or who have major
business interests in the county. We took longevity and commitment
to the economic wealth of the county into account.
LIST COMPILED BY BY IAN STRACHAN
www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 28 2017 the magazine 3