A DROP in wealth estimated at £200 million has failed to knock the family owners of the Grant’s whisky business off their perch as Jersey’s richest residents.
Glenn Gordon and family are calculated to have a total wealth of £3.4 billion, down from £3.6bn, in the 2022 edition of the Sunday Times Rich List, which is published in full this weekend.
Mr Gordon is the great-great-grandson of William Grant, who founded the family distilling business in 1887.
The Gordons are among seven billionaires based in the Channel Islands who have made this year’s list, with their wealth ranking them second behind the Barclay family, based in Brecqhou, with an estimated wealth of £6.2bn.
Sir David Barclay died in January 2021 aged 86, and is survived by his twin brother Sir Frederick, who is now 87.
Two other Jersey-based billionaires are included on the list: Chris Dawson, founder of budget garden and leisure chain The Range, and his wife Sarah, with a £200m rise to £2.25bn; and entrepreneur Simon Nixon, founder of moneysupermarket.com, whose estimated fortune of £1.93bn rose by £125m over the previous 12 months.
Another Jersey family who formerly held billionaire status remain short of the ten-figure mark for estimated wealth. Sir Philip and Lady Tina Green had an estimated fortune of £2bn in 2018, but financial problems for their
Arcadia business saw it fall by more than half by 2019, dropping further to £910m by 2021 and remaining unchanged this year.
The seven Channel Islands billionaires were among 177 billionaires across the UK and Channel Islands, with the total increasing by six across the past 12 months.
See thesundaytimes.co.uk/richlist for the full listings.
Channel Islands billionaires
1. The Barclay family (Brecqhou), property, media and internet retailing – £6.2bn (up £200m from 2021)
2. Glenn Gordon and family (Jersey), William Grant & Sons – £3.4bn (down £200m)
3. Chris and Sarah Dawson (Jersey), The Range discount stores – £2.25bn (up £200m)
4. Douw Steyn and family (Guernsey), comparethemarket insurance – £2.1bn (up £50m)
5. Simon Nixon (Jersey), internet and property – £1.93bn (up £125m)
6. Douglas and Dame Mary Perkins and family (Guernsey), Specsavers opticians – £1.33bn (up £130m)
7. Steve Lansdown (Guernsey), Hargreaves Lansdown finance – £1.24bn (down £128m)
