The richest family in York got richer in the last year, new figures reveal.
Today (Sunday) saw the publication of the Sunday Times Rich List 2020 – and while many have taken a financial hit because of Covid-19, the Shepherd family have had a very profitable 12 months.
According to the Sunday Times experts, the York family is now worth £369 million.
That’s an increase of £107 million – or 40% – on last year’s figure.
It means they have jumped to 355th on the Rich List, up from 475 in 2019.
The Shepherd family built a very successful construction firm, and launched the groundbreaking Portakabin modular building system in 1961.
The Sunday Times reports:
In 2018 profits more than doubled to £38.7m and assets rose by nearly £23m to £212.2m at the £300m business, which paid a £10.7m dividend.
We add the proceeds from the 2015 sell-off of the family’s original construction arm, dating from 1890, plus other wealth.
Other Yorkshire notables
Other Yorkshire names on the Rich List include brothers Eddie and Malcolm Healey, who are up to 70th from 93rd with combined wealth of £2 billion.
Malcolm lives at Warter Priory in Pocklington and includes Wren Kitchens and eBuyer among his retail empire. Eddie developed Meadowhall with Paul Sykes.
They gave £1.1 million to the Conservative Party before last December’s General Election.
Paul Sykes himself is up six places to 183= with an unchanged fortune of £770 million. From Barnsley, he lived near Ripon but is now said to spend a lot of his time in Jersey.
Harrogate-based tech millionaire Peter Wilkinson drops one place to 340th in the Rich List, still with £390 million.