The super-rich list: Britain's top 20 richest billionaires

62-year-old former market trader, who left school unable to properly read and write, is now one of Britain’s richest billionaires.

15:44 12 May 2014

The Sunday Times has released Britain’s Super-Rich list, which revealed that there are now a record of 104 billionaires living in the country. 

 

This number makes Britain the country with the most pound sterling billionaires per head of population in the world while London has more than any other city with 72. 

 

Joining the list is a 62-year-old former market trader from Plymouth who left school unable to read and write properly. Profiled in The Independent, Chris Dawson started building his fortune by setting up market stall selling watches for £8.99. His retail empire is now worth £1.28bn through The Range chain of discount stores. He just been named one of the country's newest billionaires in the Sunday Times 2014  Billionaire List. 

 

He said: “I own 100 per cent of the company, I have no debts, and that’s the way I like it.

 

“I’m always looking for a bargain, and that includes deals with what l call distressed retailers – firms which have gone into administration. When it happened to MFI, it was put up for £68m; I got it for less than £3m. And we shifted everything in four days.”

 

He told the Sunday Times: “I was put on this planet to make money and I start thinking about it the minute I wake up, I love a challenge.

 

“If the door’s shut, I’ll go round it, go underneath it or just knock it down.

 

“Business is like sport: nobody wants a bronze and it’s not the taking part – that’s a load of b******s. You’re out to win, you’re out to break records, every time."

 

Sunday Times 2014 Billionaire List: The UK’s top 20 richest billionaires

 

1. Sri and Gopi Hinduja, £11.9bn, up £1.3bn

2. Alisher Usmanov, £10.65bn, down £2.65bn

3. Lakshmi Mittal and family, £10.25bn, up £250m

4. Len Blavatnik, £10bn,  down £1bn

5. Ernesto and Kirsty  Bertarelli, £9.75bn, up £2.35bn

6. John Fredriksen and family, £9.25bn, up £450n

7. David and Simon Reuben, £9bn, up £719m

8. Kirsten and Jorn Rausing, £8.8bn, up £3.691bn

9. Roman Abramovich, £8.52bn, down £780n

10. The Duke of Westminster, £8.5bn, up £700n

11. Galen, Hilary and George Weston and family, £7.3bn, up £650n

12. Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken and Michel de Carvalho, £6.365bn, down £635m

13. Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber and family, £6.16bn, up £1.645bn 14. Carrie and Francois Perrodo and family, £6.14bn, new

15. German Khan, £6.08bn, new

16. Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, £6bn, up £3.65bn

17. Hans Rausing and family £5.9bn, up £1.18bn

18. Nicky Oppenheimer and family, £4.57bn, up £785m

19. Earl Cadogan and family, £4.2bn, up £525m

20. Joseph Lau and family, £4.03bn, down £570m