Sunday Times Rich List features Dunelm chief executive from Sir William Adderley from Stamford

A billionaire from the Stamford area has featured on a list of Britain’s richest people.

Dunelm deputy chairperson Sir Will Adderley and his family are regular features on the Sunday Times Rich List, which was published today (Friday, May 16).

This year the businessman has ranked fourth richest in the East Midlands, and 93rd overall.

Sir Will and his family made the list with an estimated fortune of £1.805bn, down £72m since last year.

The 53-year-old is the son of Dunelm home furnishing founder Bill Adderley.

He took over the day-to-day running of the business from his father in 1996 having begun his career aged nine, manning the tills.

Sir Will has 40 appointments listed on Companies House which includes Whissendine Farms Ltd as well as investment and property firms.

Sir Will made the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2021 for his ‘contribution to social mobility in the most disadvantaged areas of the UK’.

Topping the East Midlands Sunday Times Rich List at £3.120bn is Mike Ashley the former owner of Newcastle United Ashley who has stakes in Hugo Boss and Frasers Group.

He is followed by Derbyshire-born John Bloor who made his billions from housebuilding and has wealth of £3.101bn, and Viscount Portman and family, whose source of £1.9bn is being a landlord.

This year’s list of 350 individuals and families together hold combined wealth of £772.8 billion - three per cent down on last year.

Robert 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.”