Chris Dawson (businessman)

Christopher Frederick Dawson (born 15 February 1952) is a British billionaire businessman; founder, owner and executive chairman of the British retail chain The Range.

Chris Dawson
Dawson (left) and Peter Jones (right) on the set of Peter Jones Meets, 25 September 2012
Born
Christopher Frederick Dawson

(1952-02-15) 15 February 1952
NationalityBritish
EducationPlymstock School
Known forFounder, owner, and executive chairman, The Range
Net worth £2.05 billion (Sunday Times Rich List, 2020)
Spouse(s)Sarah Dawson
Children2

According to the Sunday Times Rich List in 2020, Dawson and his family are worth £2.05 billion, an increase of £60 million from 2019.[1]

Early life

Dawson was born in Plymouth, Devon, the son of a market trader. He attended Hooe Primary School and then Plymstock School. Dawson attended school irregularly, struggled with dyslexia, and left at 15 years old with few qualifications.[2][3] He has since returned to Hooe Primary School to discuss business studies with students.[4]

Career

Dawson started as a market trader in Plymouth. He sold seafood from the back of a van with his father, and later started his own venture selling perfume and jewellery from a suitcase.[3][5]

Dawson started CDS Superstores (Chris Dawson Superstores) in 1989, and opened an outlet store in Sugar Mill Business Park in Plymouth called 'The Range Home, Garden & Leisure'. The store sold toys, home wares, DIY equipment and Jewellery.[3]

A 'The Range Home, Garden & Leisure' brand store was opened in Cardiff in February 2000; Dawson later bought the business park where this store sits.[6] The Range was featured in The Sunday Times Top Track 250 companies from 2003 to 2012, once ranking at number 48.[7] In 2015 the retail chain has about 100 stores, all of which are owned directly by Dawson.[2]

Dawson's CDS Superstores International company started a subsidiary, CDS Group Services, a shop fitting company that has clients that include Lego, Lush Cosmetics, Levi's jeans and sister company The Range. CDS Group Services was listed in twelfth place in the Real Business Hot 100 Companies in 2012.[8]

Dawson was an ambassador for the Channel 4 Jobs Report in 2012, named the Ernst & Young Overall Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011, and in the same year advised the Prime Minister David Cameron on issues facing growing businesses.[9][10][11] In 2012 he was interviewed by Justin Leigh on BBC Radio Devon,[12]

Chris Dawson accepts his Ernst & Young awards

Dawson was interviewed in 2013 for the series Peter Jones Meets.[13][14]

Chris Dawson & Peter Jones on set on Peter Jones Meets

In 2013, Dawson's businesses had an estimated worth to 585 million pounds.[3][15] He has established several other companies involved in property, dry cleaning, manufacturing and waste management services.[16]

In April 2015, the Sunday Times Rich List reported that his net worth was £1.65 billion which by March 2017 had increased to nearly £2.0 billion, while staff in his retail stores are paid minimum wage.[17]

In 2019 Chris Dawson handed all his shares to his wife Sarah Dawson, who resides in Jersey for tax purposes.[18]

Personal life

Dawson lives in Plymouth with his wife Sarah. They have two children who also work for The Range family business.[3] He has one grandson.

Dawson participates in recreational motocross and spends time in the south of France.[19]

References
  1. Times, The Sunday. "Rich List 2020: profiles 51-100, featuring Bernie Ecclestone". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  2. Johnston, Ian (11 May 2014). "Super-Rich List: Britain's newest billionaire Chris Dawson is a real-life Del Boy". The Independent. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  3. "The MT Interview: Chris Dawson". Management Today. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  4. "Entrepreneur Chris Dawson goes back to school | Devon Live". thisisdevon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 September 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  5. "Chris Dawson | Retail Week". retail-week.com. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  6. "Chris Dawson buys Plymouth retail park and vows to rename it | Plymouth Herald". thisisplymouth.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 August 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  7. The Range – Company search results Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Fast Track.
  8. "Hot 100 2012 – 12: CDS Group Services". Real Business. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  9. "Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 Award Recipients" (PDF). Ernst & Young. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  10. "Channel 4 reveals Jobs Ambassadors – Channel 4 News". Channel 4. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  11. "500 business leaders tell David Cameron to negotiate a better deal with Europe". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  12. "BBC Radio Devon – Justin Leigh, in conversation..." BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  13. "BBC Two – Peter Jones Meets..., Series 1, Episode 1". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  14. "Latest Devon News | DevonLive.com". thisisdevon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  15. "'Del Boy' Dawson rockets up the Rich List | West Country – ITV News". itv.com. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  16. "Chris Dawson | The Times & The Sunday Times". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  17. Sabur, Rozina (2 May 2017). "Self-styled Del Boy who cannot read or write and former Miss GB among top 10 richest couples in UK". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  18. Telford, William (27 January 2020). "Billionaire Chris Dawson gets richer - but pays £5m less in tax". plymouthherald. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  19. "My Week: Chris Dawson of The Range". managementtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
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