12 from drinks make rich list

 The Sunday Times Rich List 2012 is out and there are a number of members of the drinks trade among the 1,000 people listed.

The annual survey of the UK’s 1,000 wealthiest people has thrown up some interesting industry representatives who have made their fortune in the trade.

Included are heavy weights Grant & Gordon family, Guinness and Silvio Denz.

The richest person on the list is steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, although his wealth has fallen £4,814 million to £12,700m.

In total the 1,000 people’s total fortune has risen by just under five per cent since 2011, to £414 billion.

The following pages detail those people from the drinks trade who have made the Sunday Times Rich List 2012.

William Grant and Sons whisky distillery – 48th 

The owners of the William Grant and Sons whisky distillery have joined the ranks of billionaires. The Grant and Gordon families wealth increased by £450m to £1.4billion, putting them in 48th place.

Much of this rise in profits is because of rising sales in export markets such as China.

The family had some bad news last month, when Janet Sheed Roberts, grand-daughter of William Grant and Scotland’s oldest lady died aged 110.

The Earl of Iveagh and the Guinness family – 87th 

The brewing and property giants have a portfolio valued at  £850m, according to The Sunday Times Rich List.

Their involvement in the brewing business is believed to be a £255m stake in Diageo, the drinks company, which owns the Guinness brewery.

The Earl of Iveagh and the Guinness family were placed fifth in the list of Ireland’s richest people.

Silvio Denz – 441th

London-based Silvio Denz made his money by floating his fragrance company (Art & Fragrance) but during his career he has also acquired vineyards in Spain, France and Italy and acquired significant interests in the wine dealers Les Grands Vins Wermuth and Casa del Vino Ebinger, both in Zurich.

According to the Sunday Times Rich List he is worth  £170m.

One of his most prominent investments is Château Faugères in St Emilion and he also owns 50% with Peter Sisseck of a new St Emilion property, Château de Rocheyron.

Judy Halewood (Halewood International) – 428th 

Last year Judy Halewood took over as chairwoman of the family’s drinks company (Halewood International) after the sudden death of her husband John.

Now the company, founded by her husband in Merseyside in 1978, is the UK’s biggest independent drinks manufacturer, distributing the likes of Red Square Vodka and Lamb’s Navy Rum, while the company’s fine wine division includes wine from Cliff Richard’s vineyard in Portugal.

Tim Martin (Wetherspoons) 495th

Tales of sales in pubs being down hasn’t stopped Wetherspoon’s pub chain founder Tim Martin staying in the top 500 richest people. At 495th position, the pub baron, who owns 832 pubs, is worth £152m, down £2m on last year.

 John Rudd (Berry Bros & Rudd) 569th

John Rudd of wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd is worth an estimated £130m.

The company sells wine from around the world, including en primeur wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhône and Italy. The company also sells a number of wines and spirits under its own label.

His fortune is reflected in Berry Bros & Rudd’s online sales in 2011 were “the best ever”, rising 72% with the launch of the merchant’s Berry’s Broking Exchange (BBX).

Over £25m worth of wine was sold through the merchant’s website and BBX during 2011, 72% above 2010. Sales in December alone reached £2.1m.

John Apthorp (Majestic Wine)  – 596th

UK wine retailer Majestic has had a good year and announced a rise in like-for-like sales over Christmas. Excluding VAT, during the nine weeks from 1 November 2011 to 2 January 2012, Majestic’s combined stores recorded sales growth of 8.4% on the previous period. Like-for-like sales rose by 4%, which brings the total store growth – excluding VAT – to 2.7% for the first 40 weeks of the financial year.

This is reflected in The Sunday Times Rich List 2012 as John Apthorp is in the top 600 as his family has a £44m stake in the wine company.

Aaron and Tania Hillman – 682nd

Angus Dundee produces, blends, bottles and distributes Scotch whiskies and other spirits from Scotland. Aaron and Tania Hillman are behind the company which owns two malt distilleries: Tomintoul, which is located in the Speyside Glenlivet region, and Glencadam, in the Highlands.

Thanks to the success of the distillers the pair are worth £110m.

Most recently the Angus Dundee Distillers opened the Coatbridge whisky bottling plant. The previously dormant whisky bottling plant has been re-opened and modernised by owner Angus Dundee Distillers. The company received a £460,000 grant from the Scottish government towards the project through the regional selective assistance scheme.

Brenda Salters and Joe Sloan – 682nd

From its Belfast headquarters, the SHS Group provides a strong financial base and central resources for four divisions operating within brand ownership and sales and marketing.

The company owns brands such as WKD, Shloer, Bottlegreen and Merrydown Cider and distributes brands including Colgate, Nivea, Nurofen Finish, Jordans, Tunnocks and Mars Drinks.

Brenda Salters and Joe Sloan has 50% stakes in SHS getting the pair up to 682nd position, valued at £110m.

 Raj Chatha – 785

Whittall’s Wine Merchants is a subsidiary of multi-millionaire Raj Chatha’s EFB Group. The merchants last year agreed to buy almost half of the remaining Oddbins stores open for business. Whittall’s will take on 37 of the 85 stores still open, with the rest staying in the hands of administrator Deloitte.

Raj Chatha is worth £95m.

 Sandy Bulloch – 908th 

Loch Lomond Distillers are distillers, blenders, bottlers and exporters of Scotch whisky and they helped Sandy Bulloch to £12.8m profit in 2010/2011.

Her family also runs Glen Catrine bonded warehouse, which is now the largest independent bottling plant in Scotland.

 Roger Gabb – 908th 

Roger Gabb, also in 908th place, founded Telford-based Western Wines in 1980 from his kitchen table in Shropshire, ultimately developing the Kumala brand in 1995 and turning the company into Britain’s leading importer of South African Wines.

In 2004 he sold Western Wines for £133 million, with he and his family netting £55m from the sale.

He is founder and chairman of South African wine company Journey’s End.