A list of Scotland’s richest people shows several with connections to the north and north-east.
The new Sunday Times Rich List reveals Anders Holch Povlsen, a major Highlands landowner has retained his position as Scotland’s richest person.
The top five Scottish billionaires have been unveiled ahead of Sunday’s magazine which will list the 350 richest in the UK.
1. Anders Holch Povlsen
- 2023 wealth: £8.5 billion (up £2bn from 2022)
Fashion billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen is Scotland’s largest private landowner, owning more than 220,000 acres of land, including a dozen Highland estates.
His home is in Aldourie Castle, on the shores of Loch Ness.
His wealth stems from the Danish fashion retailer Bestseller, founded by his father, Troels Holch Povlsen, in 1975.
Anders, 50, took over in 2000. He is chief executive and sole owner of the business, which has had a strong year, increasing profits to £723 million.
He also has a stake in the struggling fast-fashion outfit Asos, which has lost £183m over the past year.
Anders is the 17th richest person in the UK.
2. Glenn Gordon and family
- 2023 wealth: £4.607bn (up £1.2bn from 2022)
Chairman of Moray-based distiller William Grant and Sons, Glenn Gordon is the second richest person in Scotland.
Last year his fortune took a £200m dip, but it’s been a much better 12 months, with his wealth increasing by more than a third.
The family firm owns brands including Glenfiddich and Grant’s whisky, Drambuie, Hendrick’s gin and Sailor Jerry rum.
3. Sir Ian Wood and family
- 2023 wealth: £1.82bn (up £1m from 2022)
Ranked as the third wealthiest person in Scotland on the new list, Aberdeen oil tycoon Sir Ian Wood saw little change to his fortune over the past year.
Sir Ian, 80, was born in Aberdeen and transformed the business and fortunes of Granite City firm Wood, which this week saw off a takeover attempt.
He retired from his role as chairman of the group in 2012 and served as its chief executive from 1967 to 2006.
4. Mohamed Al Fayed and family
- 2023 wealth: £1.699bn (no change)
The former owner of London’s luxury shop Harrods has been the owner of the 65,000-acre Balnagown Estate in Kildary, Ross-shire, since 1972.
The Egyptian-born businessman is the father of Dodi Al-Fayed who died in the car crash with Diana Princes of Wales in 1997.
He also owns the Ritz in Paris, which recently underwent a £200m upgrade.
5. Mahdi al-Tajir
- 2023 wealth: £1.637bn (down £48m)
The owner of Perthshire-based Highland Spring remains one of Scotland’s wealthiest people, despite his fortune dropping by nearly £50m in the past year.
‘Golden period for super-rich’ is over
The Sunday Times Rich List 2023 shows there are 171 billionaires in the UK, down six from 2022.
This year’s list shows that a “golden period for the super-rich is over” according to the man who compiled it.
Robert Watts said: “For the first time in 14 years we’ve seen the number of UK billionaires fall.
“Two years ago we raised concerns about an unsettling boom in the fortunes of the very wealthy that continued unchecked during the political instability around Brexit and the pandemic.
“This is not a crash – but there are household names who have lost vast sums over the past year.
“The bursting of the tech bubble, the end of rock bottom interests and the jitters creeping through the banking industry have all taken their toll.”
Losses for Rich List regulars
UK-wide, a number of Sunday Times Rich List regulars are nursing heavy losses.
Sir Richard Branson’s wealth has fallen by £1.79bn since last year. That is largely due to the falling share prices of his space tourism and satellite ventures.
Mr Watts added: “The super rich don’t exist in a vacuum. Many small investors lost money in some of their overblown stock market floats.
“Many people also work for their businesses. Financial losses for billionaires can have implications for us all.”
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