Latest news with #Povlsen
Scottish Sun
18-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Richest man in Scotland launches new business venture after buying historic beauty spot pub
He also bought the Dores Inn near his luxury Aldourie Castle last year MONSTER DEAL Richest man in Scotland launches new business venture after buying historic beauty spot pub Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HE may have seen his fortune increase by nearly £1bn, but Scotland's richest man is serving up a tasty new business venture on the banks of Loch Ness. And though it may be small scale by Anders Holch Povlsen's standards, it is literally a monster deal, especially for locals and visitors wanting to catch a glimpse of Nessie. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Anders Holch Povlsen and his wife Anne Holch Credit: AFP Mr Povlsen's company WildLand is set to launch a new pop-up culinary experience at the site of the Dores Inn – including ice cream, making it Lick Ness. Launching on Thursday, the Wild Food Truck will operate weekly from Thursday to Sunday, 12–6pm, offering handmade flatbreads, local produce, and refreshments that reflect the rich natural larder of the Highlands. Mr Povlsen last year, bought the Dores Inn near his luxury Aldourie Castle and is revamping the hostelry. The site is also home to legendary Loch Ness Monster hunter Steve Feltham, who holds the world record for looking for Nessie. The Dores Inn bar will also open on Friday and Saturday evenings from 5pm to midnight for drinks. Tim Kirkwood, CEO of WildLand, said:'While we progress with restoration plans for the Dores Inn, we want to offer something that keeps the vibrancy of the site alive and welcomes people back to enjoy its extraordinary location. 'The Wild Food Truck gives us the opportunity to serve nourishing, locally sourced food on the lochside, alongside Highland craft beers, organic wines and natural juices.' 'This pop-up is rooted in the same values we bring to all our work – celebrating Highland provenance, operating sustainably, and creating meaningful experiences that connect people with nature and place. We hope it becomes a welcome addition for both locals and visitors this summer.' WildLand's menu highlights include sourdough flatbreads topped with rare-breed Highland meats and seasonal vegetables, organic dairy ice cream, and a curated drinks list featuring Highland craft beers, organic wines, kombucha, and wild herbal infusions. Many ingredients are sourced from WildLand's own farms and estates, including Ribigill Farm in Sutherland, Ben Loyal and Glenfeshie estates, and Clune Farm overlooking Dores. Moment ASOS billionaire is caught speeding at 82mph & fined by cops in Highlands WildLand will continue engaging closely with local residents, as well as well-known businesses operating from the site like Loch Ness Rib Rides and Nessie hunter Mr Feltham, as part of its longer-term plans to reopen the Dores Inn as a fully renovated Highland pub and restaurant in the next two years. Dane Mr Povlsen is also Scotland's largest private landowner with over 220,000 acres. The purchase of the Dores Inn and its surrounding water and shore frontages also includes the base of the loch's second most famous resident Mr Feltham. Ironically, he recently landed a new starring role - advertising Denmark's Euro-Jackpot lottery. The historic Dores Inn is the only pub/restaurant spectacularly situated on the shores of south Loch Ness, eight miles from Inverness. And it normally attracts up to 400 people a day at peak season, with many hoping for a glimpse of the legendary creature. In fact, many sightings of the monster have been made at the village. Mr Povlsen has grown his net worth by almost £1 billion in the past year. The new Sunday Times Rich List 2025 reveals he has retained his position as Scotland's richest person. His wealth is now put at £7.704bn - up from £6.730bn in 2024. WildLand Limited posted pre-tax losses of £8.1 million for the year ending July 31 2024. But Mr Povlsen's wealth stems from the Danish fashion retailer Bestseller, founded by his father, Troels Holch Povlsen, in 1975. Anders, 52, is now the chief executive and sole owner of the business. He also has a stake in the fast fashion outfit ASOS. He is the 23rd richest person in the UK.
The Courier
16-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
JIM SPENCE: Are Dundee United or St Johnstone wanted by billionaire?
Imagine St Johnstone or Dundee United owned by a billionaire. Football and speculation are joined at the hip so with Dane, Anders Holch Povlsen – said to be Scotland's richest man – sponsoring Saints' kit through his online fashion retailer MandM, some folk are putting two and two together and coming up with – well – four. After all, the man, reckoned by Forbes business magazine to be worth £13 billion, already owns FC Midtyjlland in Denmark and has other football interests too. And buying either United (who he was linked with a few months ago) or Saints, would represent a rain drop in the North Sea of his wealth. The delicious prospect of outgunning the Old Firm and bringing their 40-year duopoly of the top league to an end may be wishful thinking, but might his small step at Saints be a precursor to an investment which could shake Scottish football to the core? Povlsen's Midtylland make Saints and United look like paupers by comparison. Founded in 1999, they've won four league titles since 2015 and appeared in European group stages; they've generated commercial income of over £11 million and, astonishingly, under Povlsen's ownership, spent almost £31 million in the 2023/24 financial year on player transfers. So might Povlsen be persuaded to make a bid for Saints or United, and what would be in it for him? I never underestimate the ego factor in football, and owning a club brings real cachet and status in the world top business folk move through. Many of our clubs still have a real history in Europe, even though the years between actual success and current success are fast receding. That history still has its attractions though, as does the much greater likelihood of qualifying for European football than in some other leagues where investment is more expensive. If Povlsen took over at United, the Dane would inherit average attendances of over 11,000; almost twice that of Saints. Saints, though, offer a newer stadium with a far bigger footprint for any possible future development plans. United offer a rich European pedigree as the fourth placed club in Scotland's storied European history, along with the bragging rights of beating Barcelona in all four competitive meetings. Saints (current relegation travails aside) offer the stability of sixteen successive seasons in the top flight, along with two Scottish Cup wins and a League Cup win between 2014 and 2021. Both clubs, though, could potentially offer a regular passport to European football with a level of investment which would be negligible, given Povlsen's wealth. United would be the more costly investment with current owner Mark Ogren, if he was prepared to sell, looking to recoup the £13 million pounds invested, while Saints are debt-free and with a much more valuable piece of real estate in McDiarmid Park than Tannadice represents. With the current fashion for club partnerships, both Saints and United could offer an ideal symbiosis with Midtjylland and Povlsen's other football interests, with the prospect of better quality players arriving in Perth or Dundee. Midtylland's crowds average around the 10,000 mark; they're heavily invested in community involvement like Saints and United, but unlike the Scots, they have bold plans to become one of Europe's top 50 clubs. Povlsen is heavily immersed in Scotland; he is the country's largest landowner and his company AAA owns the Jenners building on Princes Street in Edinburgh. He's been labelled an ethical billionaire, so if he persuaded Saints' owner Adam Webb to sell, might he move Saints to an oft-discussed smaller stadium; an eco-friendly one, more adequate for their needs, and then re-purpose McDiarmid Park along sound ecological grounds? Such a move would give him both football and environmental kudos. If he could be persuaded to buy United, he'd have a tough job convincing Arabs to move from their ancestral home, but the prospect of serious investment in the team from a billionaire would, I suspect, be welcomed with open arms. Is a move by the Dane for either club likely? In football, I'm long past the stage where anything surprises me, so even just thinking about the ramifications of a billionaire blowing our game wide open – and the excitement it would bring – is worth the speculation alone.
STV News
16-05-2025
- Business
- STV News
Danish billionaire remains Scotland's richest man with £7.7bn fortune
Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen has been named the richest man in Scotland for the fourth year in a row. Mr Povlsen, the CEO of the international retail clothing chain Bestseller and the largest shareholder in ASOS, increased his wealth by £974m last year – bringing his net worth to £7.7bn. Mr Povlsen is closely followed in second place by whisky tycoon Glenn Gordon and Family, whose firm is known for brands like Glenfiddich and Balvenie. Sir Ian Wood and family remain in third place, having seen their fortune increase by £3m to just over £1.9bn. Lady Philomena Clark and family, owners of car retailer Arnold Clark, jump up to fourth spot, followed by Highland Spring owner Mahdi Al-Tajir. Media and television personality Georgia Toffolo, who is married to BrewDog entrepreneur James Watt, ranked top in Scotland for the richest under 40 category, with a wealth of £425m. Getty Images The 76-page special edition of The Sunday Times Magazine reveals the largest fall in the billionaire count in the guide's 37-year history, from a peak of 177 in 2022 to 156 this year. The number of billionaires has dropped for three successive years – but this year's decline is the sharpest yet. This year's list of 350 individuals and families together hold combined wealth of £772.8bn — 3% down on last year. Sir Elton John, Lord Lloyd-Webber, Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Euan Blair, Sir Lewis Hamilton and Sir Christopher Nolan all appear in the annual survey. The combined wealth in the 37th annual edition is £772.8bn – a sum larger than the annual GDP of minimum entry level flatlines at £350m – another indicator of a subdued Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: 'The Sunday Times Rich List is changing. Our billionaire count is down and the combined wealth of those who feature in our research is falling. 'We are also finding fewer of the world's super-rich are coming to live in the UK.'This year we were also struck by the strength of criticism for Rachel Reeves's Treasury. We expected the abolition of non-dom status would anger affluent people from overseas. 'But homegrown young tech entrepreneurs and those running centuries-old family firms are also warning of serious consequences to a range of tax changes unveiled in last October's budget.'Our research continues to find a wide variety of self-made entrepreneurs building fortunes not just fromartificial intelligence, video games and new technologies but also mundane, everyday items such as makeup, radiators and jogging bottoms. 'We know many of our readers find these people and their stories inspiring — especially the many who had tough starts or setbacks to their lives and careers.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Courier
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
St Johnstone announce sponsorship deal with fashion firm owned by Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen
St Johnstone have announced a multi-year kit sponsorship deal with online fashion retailer, MandM. The company will take its place on the front of the men's and women's jerseys from the start of next season. MandM is owned by the Danish fashion group Bestseller, which is owned and run by billionaire, Anders Holch Povlsen. Povlsen is considered to be the richest man in Scotland due to his ownership of acres of land across the Highlands. He also has strong football connections through his 'Football Collective' which includes FC Midtjylland in its portfolio. Last year, Povlsen was linked with investing in Dundee United. Commenting on the MandM deal, St Johnstone CEO, Fran Smith, said: 'This multi-year agreement provides stability and aligns with our vision for sustained growth. 'We look forward to building a strong and successful relationship together that benefits both parties and our supporters. 'I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank long-term men's sponsor GS Brown Construction and this season's women's sponsor Aberdein Considine for their unwavering support. 'Their commitment to the club has been outstanding, and we're deeply grateful for the role they've played in our journey.' Mike Tomkins, chairman of MandM, said: 'We're delighted to partner with St Johnstone FC and see the MandM name proudly featured on their shirts. 'This is more than just a sponsorship – it's about investing in a club representing passion, integrity and at the heart of its local community. 'We're excited to join the journey and support the club both on and off the pitch in the seasons to come.' Long-term supporter of the club, Sidey, enters a new three-year partnership and will remain as the sponsor at the top of the back of the shirt, while A&B Taxis will again occupy the bottom of the back of shirt. AIIR Environmental will appear on the first team jersey, sponsoring the sleeve on a two-year deal. Saints in the Community's name will be on the shorts.
