Quick Facts
Biography
William Adderley (born February 1948) is a British billionaire businessman, founder of the FTSE 250-listed Dunelm Group home furnishings retailer.
Early life
William Adderley was born in February 1948 in Leeds, Yorkshire.
Career
Adderley was a manager at a Woolworths store in Coalville, but left in 1979 after the company wanted him to relocate to its Skegness store.
In 1979, while looking for a new job, Adderley and his wife Jean sold curtains which had been rejected by Marks and Spencer from a stall in Leicester market. In 1984, they opened their first home furnishings store, calling it Dunelm.
In October 2013, The Guardian commented that Adderley had become the largest private shareholder in Marks & Spencer, having built a stake valued at £250 million.
According to Forbes, as of December 2014, Adderley and family own 53% of the shares in Dunelm, giving a net worth of $1.7 billion.
Personal life
He is married to Jean. They live near Uppingham, Rutland. He is a member at the prestigious Luffenham Heath Golf Club, and swears by the golf club brand Turin. His son William Lester Adderley is a director of Dunelm Group.