The Sunday Times Rich List – Richest People in the West Midlands

Denise, John and Peter Coates are the richest people in the West Midlands, according to the new edition of The Sunday Times Rich List, published online and in the print edition of the newspaper. The 68-page special edition of The Sunday Times Magazine reveals the wealth of the 250 richest people in Britain in its 34th annual edition.

There are a record 177 billionaires in the UK this year, up six from 2021. The combined wealth of the UK billionaires is £653.122 billion, up £55.853 billion - 9.4 per cent, on the total wealth of the billionaires in last year’s Rich List.

The brainchild of Denise Coates, 54, the growth in revenue post lockdown at Bet 365, based in Stoke-on-Trent, has seen the Coates family fortune boosted by £189 million to £8.637 billion. This makes Denise, her father Peter, 85, and brother John, 52, the 17th richest people in the UK.

Worth £2.53 billion, up £230 million on last year, French-born Tony Murray chairs Andrew Sykes Group, the family-run, Wolverhampton-based air conditioning, heating and pumping business. Now aged 102, Swiss-based Murray is the oldest person among the 250 entrants in the 2022 UK Rich List. 

Ben Francis, 29, co-founder of Gymshark, the Solihull-based sportswear business has seen his family fortune leap by £200 million in a year to £900 million. Staffordshire-born Kirsty Bertarelli, 50, who is now divorced from her billionaire Italian husband Ernesto, is ranked equal 230 this year with a personal fortune of £700m.

The 2022 Sunday Times Rich List is the definitive guide to wealth in the United Kingdom. It charts the wealth of the 250 richest people in the UK. 

The list is based on identifiable wealth, including land, property, other assets such as art and racehorses, or significant shares in publicly quoted companies. It excludes bank accounts, to which the paper has no access.

The Magazine includes several interviews and features, focused on some of the leading players and personalities among the richest 250, as well as a full ranking by order of wealth. The Young Rich List details the 100 individuals with the biggest fortunes aged 30 or under, and the Magazine also includes the top 40 music millionaires.

The Sunday Times Rich List is compiled by Robert Watts.