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| Philip and Christina Green |
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| RESULTS 2005 |
Ranking |
Worth |
Industry |
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5 |
£4,850m |
Retailing |
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| Football fans waiting for Green to do a Roman Abramovich (qv) and plough his fortune into their ailing team should not hold their breath. Last month he said: "Unless you want to lose money and have people fighting with you every week, I don't think it's a way to enjoy yourself. It's much better to watch it on TV." Brash, tough and wise-cracking, 53-year-old Green is the undisputed king of the high street. The son of a London property developer who died when he was 12, Green became a millionaire at 33 by buying the Jean Jeanie chain for £65,000 and selling it a year later for £3m. In the past two years he has transformed the Arcadia group and repaid the £807m debt taken out to buy the business, which the City values at £3 billion. It is the second such triumph for Green, who turned round the Bhs fashion business with spectacular results after a £200m takeover in 2000, becoming a billionaire faster than anybody before him. Both Bhs and Arcadia are held in the name of Green's South African-born wife, Tina, who lives as a tax exile in Monte Carlo. Green can indulge his love of risking large sums on the roulette table when he joins the family at weekends, flying out in his Gulfstream G550, a Christmas gift from his wife. Green's ultimate target is Marks & Spencer, which he has twice attempted to buy. The couple's holdings in the two main businesses are worth £3.7 billion. Substantial other assets add another £1.15 billion to their fortune. |
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| RESULTS 2004 |
Ranking |
4 |
Worth |
2004: £3,610m |
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