Its been 16 years, but the UK economy finally has a chance, How to boost your pension pot by over 100,000, The best one-year fixed savings accounts - April 2023, MoneyWeek is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. He says he became convinced of the profit-making potential of the retail side only recently, though in typical fashion he is expanding the business rapidly, with a further 70 shops to open this year. WebAncaster House - Projects - MSMR Architects View All Projects Ancaster House MSMR successfully secured planning consent for the sensitive redevelopment of two adjoining listed buildings located in the Mayfair Conservation Area. The retailer was selling phones for 1,600 each, and two for 1,350. "We'd go around knocking on people's doors saying we were selling soap products for the blind. Niall Keating, chef director at Lunar Restaurant, has taken inspiration from the classic bacon and cheese filling. "If you think having money means that life is going to be fantastic all the time, that you can move from one wonderful thing to the next, then you need to recalibrate," he says. Mr Caudwell has built his businesses up from scratch and, with his brother Brian, a minority investor, is estimated to be worth 300m, placing the duo 85th on The Sunday Times Rich List. Billionaire businessman John Caudwell bought Audley Street garage and the surrounding buildings in Mayfair for around 155 million in 2011. On installation, the builders reveal the steel frame alone cost 500,000 and the room for error is just 10 millimetres on either side, meaning if it doesn't fit it would have to be returned to the manufacturers in Turkey. Beside the nightclub with the unique mirrored floor sits a games room with a faux rose-covered ceiling. Mr Caudwell, an outspoken Thatcherite, is passionate about that, saying cross-subsidising firms is as bad for a corporation as state-subsidised industry is for a national economy. Sign up for exclusive newsletters, comment on stories, enter competitions and attend events. But Fatal Attraction didn't need a remake, FA launches probe into Jurgen Klopp's altercation with referee Paul Tierney, Billions spent on unproven carbon capture could instead save households 9,000 each, Do not sell or share my personal information. Subscribe to MoneyWeek now and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE. Total staff numbers have now reached 1,800. On the third floor, a former conservatory is a Thai-style dining room with a 15-foot preserved cherry tree and silk pink blossom hanging over the table. Man, 20, in critical condition after assault in Beckenham, UK running extra evacuation flight to rescue Britons from Sudan, Islamic State leader killed in Syria, says Turkey, The Kings Coronation Concert to feature a Union Flag-shaped stage, Warning of exceptionally low staffing levels as nurses strike, MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo dies aged 46, a secluded Hollywood-style mansion near Hampstead Heath, County lines mum ran selfish sons drugs ring while he was in jail, Coronation allegiance oath in support of King tone deaf, Couple ordered to tear down 80,000 extension in fight with neighbours, Mum says son was too embarrassed to leave killer girlfriend. Theres also an Art Deco-inspired, lattice-fronted elevator, a cocktail lounge with low-lit velvet booths and a stage for live music plus an adjoining billiards room with a rose-covered ceiling. Try it outhere. He purchased the property for 87million, but it is estimated to be worth over twice the amount after the new renovations have been completed. Then, one day in 1987, Mr Caudwell, then 34, went to an electronics shop to buy a mobile phone for his business. "When he was ten, [he] started developing what appeared to be mental problems panic attacks, serious agoraphobia and a terror of sickness," says his father. He and some friends cycled from Stoke, down the length of Wales, to Oxford and back to Stoke, a distance of 440 miles along winding hill roads in three days. One of the reasons for Mr Caudwell's relative obscurity in the millionaires' club may be that Phones 4U, the group's most public face, is a relatively small retailer, with around 130 shops. The Channel 4 team join the build for its final stages: a point when the project - which has already run over on time - is 55 million over budget, too. This was not the answer he was looking for and he indicated that I had to leave the club. ", Britain's Most Expensive Home: Building For A Billionaire, Wednesday 5February at 9pm on Channel 4, Take a look inside billionaire John Caudwell's 250million mansion home in new Channel 4 documentary, The pair are considering a move to London, Sports Illustrated star Heidi's daughter no longer lives at home, The actress plays DCI Vera Stanhope in the hit show, Police swarmed Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's home after a fan turned up on her doorstep, Fixer Upper star Joanna Gaines has left her fans concerned, Angelina has recently joined The Repair Shop team, The Loose Women star isn't afraid of change. A secluded Hollywood-style super-mansion near Hampstead Heath went up for sale in 2019, with an asking price of 40 million. As well as a cinema room, there are further sitting rooms spread across the spacious property. Plus, get the exclusive Robb Report tote bag FREE. The narrator assured us that Johns motivation to spend so much on the house is in part to attract a better quality of guest to his yearly charity ball, but the charity itself states that the ball brought in 1.5m in donations in 2018. WebInside John Caudwell's home - Billionaire's 250 million mansion tour | OK! "The value in my house is the house itself, but I dont keep any valuables. John joked: "Who else has a room like this? John Caudwell, 57, founder of Phones 4U, sold the company along with 20:20 Distribution in September 2006 for a combined sum of 1.64bn. Interiors were designed by Athens and London-based Sissy Feida and include a 13-metre crystal floor-to-ceiling hanging chandelier in the grand hall. Sign up to our newsletter. Mr Caudwell says 4U Net is now a vital part of his plans, though it makes no money for the group. Luxury features include a subterranean spa area with 14-metre pool, hammam and treatment and dressing rooms. phoenix. A new courtyard was created and incorporates a concealed eight-car stacking system which sits between the two buildings. This newly built mansionin north-west London's celebrity-packed enclave is themost expensive property listed for sale in London so far this year. This was really the crucial moment, in 1988, when Mr Caudwell finally found his calling. The Mobile Phone Repair Company (MPRC) is in four countries, and Dextra, the accessories company, is following suit. "It was just a matter of making everything very tasteful, which ended up being a complete and total bare brick renovation," the 69-year-old said. All are run as separate companies with distinct management structures. At the heart of the programme is the intriguing character of Caudwell himself a tough taskmaster, but also a committed philanthropist. The 25,000 sq ft neo-classical residence in Avenue Road was built on a plot bought for 14 million in 2013 by Greek property developer George Dragoumanos. Eventually, I'll find ways of making money as well, through value-added propositions on the website.". From 10, Mr Caudwell says he had one aim. His pre-tax profits last year in this low margin business came in at 14.3m. A dedicated philanthropist, Caudwell doesnt intend to use the property as his main residence. It also allows him to keep a watchful eye on his vintage car collection through the glass from the comfort of his extraordinary home. The luxury property's more informal sitting room. For other inquiries, Contact Us. The London property is mainly used for his charity - Caudwell Children, which supports disabled children and their families. A real showstopper gadget is the automated eight-car "stacker", which can summon any of John's impressive car collection at the touch of a button. Mayfair is one of London s priciest neighborhoods; for decades, its been an ultra-exclusive enclave of wealthy Arab oil tycoons and celebrity-laden nightclubs. The documentary will take a look at the unique engineering tasks and challenges to create a subterranean basement that joins two mansions together, a mechanical car stacker that can take eight cars from street level to storage with ease, a pool with a bespoke installation designed to look like lava and even a dining room featuring a real river - complete with live fish. He sold all Caudwell Group BMW company cars and urged other businesses to do the same. WebPROPERTY. "When I do the first charity party, maybe with 80 or 90 people in that ballroom, and we raise a load of money for Caudwell Children, I will enjoy that more than anything else I could ever do in my life," says owner John. The huge property has 15 bedrooms and eight floors, spanning 43,000 sq feet. John is passionate about property. In a few years this would grow into MPRC, the UK's biggest such enterprise. All rights reserved. phoenix. Pregnant women fighting for their lives at Royal Stoke after catching covid, Mum wallowing in self pity branded 'selfish, self-centred and ignorant', Stoke-on-Trent's bin men 'struggling' to cope as Covid decimates crews, Suicide of woman 'tormented by neighbours' sees coroner slam police, Firefighter back at work a year after losing leg in motorbike crash, Not signed up to the newsletter? You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. He is a man with huge wealth, but one who still counts the pennies, the boy from Stoke who has set his heart on a home in the old money world of Mayfair. ", I have less sympathy for Markus Persson, the 36-year-old Swedish inventor of the staggeringly popular video game, Minecraft. It took eight months to sell all 26 phones to plumbers, taxi drivers and television repairmen at a price of 2,000 each. Viewers will be able to catch a glimpse inside one of the UK's most lavish homes when Stoke-on-Trent billionaire John Caudwell 's Mayfair mansion features on TV tonight. With the work now finished, it is estimated to be worth around 250 million. Hes currently dating 36-year-old Lithuanian cycling champion and former Olympian Modesta Vzesniauskaite. A 17-seater cinema is a real showstopper, with the seats synchronised to lower at the same time if required. Who else has a room like this? "I've got this spectacularly perfect house," says John, "If someone spills some red wine on the carpet I'm going to just look away. The crucial deadline? A birthday dinner Caudwell wanted to hold. The manor of Broughton was owned by the eponymous Broughton family from the 13th century. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. The reception room is a cosy walnut clad room adorned with jackets designed by the home's owner billionaire businessman John Caudwell. Customise cookies or read more in our Cookie Policy. "The secret is to cut the margins down, add value the customer can really see, run it in a very efficient way and let the customer loyalty be the most important thing of all. "The budget has always been irritating, because the budget went up and up and up and we got to this huge budget of where we are now which is over 65 million," says John. The renovation of an extraordinary home carved out of two mega mansions in the heart of Mayfair is to be featured in a one-off documentary on Channel 4 tonight. But despite the drastic revamp, he left his beloved ballroom mostly untouched. To wind down away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the property boasts an indoor pool with a volcanic lava installation. * Residential & commercial car lift installation services It really has been a labor of love, Cauldwell said. It is decked out with a personalised cinema, a dining room complete with flowing river and live fish and an indoor car park that is also a "beautiful piece of art". Heres a brief summary: The homes volcano wall and indoor swimming pool. Although Alta Vista's much-trumpeted announcement that it was doing the same came a few days before, Mr Caudwell's company had run trials last year, and launched its service when the American company was still planning its free launch. One is what Caudwell describes as a hideous former car park that will be redeveloped into super prime luxury apartments on South Audley Street. It was not an obvious route to wealth, and seven years later Midland Garages, as his dealership was called, had a staff of seven and did a fair, though not particularly lucrative turnover. Both buildings form a single site and are linked at the basement level. "All of a sudden, the phone manager left and the key car salesmen found other jobs, so I had to restructure the business," he says. He is also a speed freak. John Caudwell has kindly offered up one of his homes to shelter refugees as Putin's war continues to rage through Ukraine. There is also a divine games room, which John describes as "great for entertaining in" that helps make the house "super special.". One quickly gets the impression that Mr Caudwell is utterly, unstoppably determined in everything he sets out to do. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. See more images from the magnificent home below: JUNE 4-8: A California luxury road rally like no other. "I'm probably lucky, because I inherently know how business should be. Five crystal chandeliers stretch up over four floors to transform the staircases. "I've got this spectacularly perfect house, if someone spills some red wine on the carpet I'm going to just look away," says John. Mr Caudwell's next business would provide the path to his later success. Lee Koffman, head of NW London sales at UK Sothebys International Realty, said: Ultimately its a family house for the mega-rich. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations. At the time of listing, it was the most expensive detached house on the open market in the UK. 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WebIt is 6am, and John Caudwell is on his racing bicycle, speeding along the Staffordshire byways. After a few years of throwing lavish parties, A stuffy old bloke wearing pin-striped trousers looked me up and down as though I had something rather unpleasant on my shoes. Something went wrong, please try again later. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. "The site was just unbelievable," the dad-of-six said. When people said, 'Go away', I'd be thinking, what can I say to the next one? But it was hard to watch this 68m renovation and feel anything but disgust. Why Ed Sheeran is both right and wrong to say most pop songs fit over most other pop songs, Joel Dommett: 'Sienna Miller led me through our sex scene. There is also a three-bedroom, three-bathroom staff quarters. he renovation of an extraordinary home carved out of two mega mansions in the heart of Mayfair has been featured in a one-off documentary, Britains Most But at that early stage I could never have anticipated the boom today. 15 Sep 2015. The businessman even has a lavish cinema room that has been kitted out with all the amenities for a movie night. But one of John's favourite features of the house is the car stacker lift, which is visible from within the house through strong glass, keeping his vintage motors on He has been married once and has five children from three different relationships. This house is exceptionally wide The renovation ran over time and 55 million over budget and the the results will be seen once again on Channel 4's Britain's Most Expensive Home: Building for a A river filled with handpicked African Cichlid fish flows through the centre of the room. His favourite Honda VTR1000SP-1 accelerates from zero to 60mph in two seconds and has a top speed of more than 170mph. "I got a retrospective rebate from Motorola if I bought a lot of product. The 12 seat cinema room is fully equipped with bar and seating area. I saw all the adults would come back to the minibus and nobody would have sold anything. (His companies now sell more than that every minute.) Enter your password to log in. The first floor has three bedroom suites, including a master bedroom with walk-in dressing room, and two separate marble bathrooms. The ballroom is said to be the largest private ballroom in London after Buckingham Palace. The Brummy-billionaire told OK Magazine he stripped the majority of the mansion back to basics, as he found the decor was "ostentatious". PHONES4U billionaire John Caudwell has shown off Britains most expensive home worth 250million after he merged two mansions together. The Caudwell companies - 20:20, Dextra, 4U, MPRC, Singlepoint, Phones 4U, E.Commercell, 4U Net and Calls 4U - are expanding rapidly within Britain and most of them are setting up overseas as well. In the early Nineties, he developed his strategy of wanting to be in "every single aspect of mobile telephones that it was possible to get into". ft. mega-manse was purchased in 2012 for about $100 million. Inside Tech Billionaire John Caudwells $300 Million London Home. John - who recently had a child with Olympic cyclist Modesta Vzesniauskaite - also owns the 12 million Jacobean manor house Broughton Hall, near Eccleshall, and has a property in Monaco. Experience extraordinary with us this June. Since I spend all day wandering around London I accurately responded: I would describe them as comfortable.' ", Mr Caudwell hired a manager to run the mobile business out of a backroom in the car dealership, and a year later it was still running at a loss of around 1,000 a month. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. We use cookies to give you the best online experience. He is rolling this out across Europe this year and he is convinced it will become the premier system of its kind worldwide, helping to double the group's turnover within two years. Earn nearly 5% on one-year fixed savings accounts. "My first thoughts were that there were big margins in this business, but very low volumes, and the volumes would go up and the margins would come down. Read our, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}. The fully-kitted out kitchen with high end Gaggenau appliances. There's also a secure underground garage with a hydraulic car lift with space for up to four cars. Interiors were designed by Athens and London-based Sissy Feida and include a 13-metre crystal floor-to-ceiling hanging chandelier in the grand hall. [We may also share this information with third parties for this purpose. From here, guests can see the vintage and luxury cars John chooses to display in his car stacker storage. But if youre going to make before-and-after property porn, dont try and claim its all forcharity. With his brother Brian, in 1987 John registered Midland Mobile Phones as a mobile phone wholesaler taking 26 Motorola mobiles at 1,350 each. 20:20 Logistics is already Europe's largest handset distributor, with operations in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Denmark and Norway. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Apparently The Reform does not allow trainer footwear". post. John Caudwell's main residence is a 12-bedroom country house in Staffordshire and, along with other homes around the world, he also owns a 73-metre yacht which he bought at auction for the bargain price of 35 million. If it's caught early itcan be cured by antibiotics, but all too often it isn't: a friend of mine in Scotland still suffers aches and pains from it because doctors were too slow to diagnose the problem. This extraordinary home has been carved out of two mega mansions in the heart of Mayfair. I'd only done it once in real life', Lizzy Caplan: 'There's so much dark, f***ed-up, wild shit that comes with motherhood', Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story has more to say about Meghan Markle than any stuffy doc, Jerry Springer apologised for ruining the culture. A Chinese owner, who paid 40 million for a plot in Avenue Road two years ago, is building an even bigger 30,000 sq ft house that could be worth close to 100 million when it is finished. Every morning, he clocks up 40 miles, returns to his rural manor house, then drives to his office in Stoke-on-Trent. Today they operate as entirely separate enterprises with no horizontal links or mutually favourable agreements. John Caudwell is a striking man, as fit as you'd expect for someone who cycles up to 100 miles a day, every day, in all weathers. The house is estimated to be worth 250million after refurbishments. TAKE a look inside John Caudwell's extravagant mansion that's Britain's most expensive home. When a lift shaft sprang a leak, the site manager said that if it had been any worse, he would have thrown myself into the Thames, because this would have delayed the project. Caudwells Phones 4u founder John Caudwell'snew-look Mayfair home has London's largestprivate ballroomafter Buckingham Palace. A burst pipe just six weeks before John intends to move in almost derails the entire renovation, and self-described micro-manager John is unimpressed with the progress he sees on his frequent visits. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile, It is 6am, and John Caudwell is on his racing bicycle, speeding along the Staffordshire byways.
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