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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Abbie Meehan

Scotland's wealthiest millionaires and billionaires named in Sunday Times rich list 2023

Anders Holch Povlsen, the owner of Jenners on Edinburgh's Princes Street, has been named the richest person in Scotland, according to the Sunday Times newest Rich List.

The Danish billionaire is owner of the historic Jenners building in the capital, which he bought for £53 million back in 2017.

Mr Povlsen is currently in the process of restoring the 184-year-old building into a luxury hotel with a rooftop bar on the top floors, and a modern shopping unit on the bottom floor.

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The fashion retailer has ranked 17th on the overall Rich List this year, which was collated by the Sunday Times in their annual ranking of all of the people who pocket the most money in a year.

Povlsen was also Scotland's highest climber on the money ladder, taking his wealth from £6.5 billion in 2022 to £8.5 billion in 2023 - an increase of £2 billion in just 12 months.

The love affair with Scotland began for Anders Holch Povlsen as a child, when he visited the country on a fishing trip with his parents.

Now, he is the nation's largest private landowner, spanning 220,000 acres. The billionaire lives in Aldourie Castle, on the shores of Loch Ness, and his wealth stems from his lineage as well.

Jenners will be transformed in four years. (Daily Record)

His father, Troels Holch Povlsen, founded Danish fashion retailer Bestseller in 1975, and Andres, 50, took over the business in 2000.

He is chief executive and the 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 £183 million over the past year.

Whisky dynasty, Glenn Gordon and family, is listed as this year’s second richest person in Scotland at £4.607 billion. Based in Jersey, Gordon runs William Grant & Sons, and is owner of Drambuie, Glenfiddich and Grant’s.

Overall, the richest 350 in the UK this year are worth £796.459 billion.The minimum wealth needed to be counted in the top 350 is £350 million.

Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: "This year's Sunday Times Rich List shows that a golden period for the super rich is over. 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.

“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."

Listed below are the five wealthiest people in Scotland, and how much they are currently worth:

Rank

Name

Source of Wealth

2023 Wealth

Rise/Fall

1

Anders Holch Povlsen

Fashion: Bestseller and Asos

£8.5bn

Up £2bn

2

Glenn Gordon and family

Spirits: William Grant & Sons

£4.607bn

Up £1.2bn

3

Sir Ian Wood and family

Oil services and fishing: Wood Group

£1.82bn

Up £1m

4

Mohamed Al Fayed and family

Retailing and hotels: Harrods and Paris Ritz

£1.699bn

No change

5

Mahdi al-Tajir

Metals, oil and water: Highland Spring

£1.637bn

Down £48m

For more information, visit the Sunday Times Rich List 2023 here.

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