- John Caudwell
John Caudwell (born 1953) is an English
billionaire who has made most of his money in themobile phone business.The Caudwell Group is a mobile communications company, founded by John and his brother Brian Caudwell in 1987 as Midland Mobile Phones, a small local business which took 8 months to sell its first order of 26 phones. The group now sells 26 phones every minute. [cite web |url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/business.cfm?id=1141312006 |title= "The Scotsman" |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070311132108/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/business.cfm?id=1141312006 |archivedate=2007-03-11]
Developing from a small dealership to a wholesale distributor, turnover expanded to £13 million in 1991, making it the UK's largest independent distributor of cellular phones.
Turnover increased from £13 million in 1991 to over £1 billion in 2000. In 1996 and 1997, The Caudwell Group was named the UK's fastest growing company for 2 years in succession. The Caudwell Group employs over 8,000 worldwide.
The Caudwell Group owns mobile phone retailer
Phones 4U , handset sourcing firm 20:20 Logistics and Dextra Solutions. In 2003 Caudwell sold the mobile phone services operation Singlepoint toVodafone , for £405m (then $648m).In 2005 the "Sunday Times" estimated John Caudwell's wealth at £1,280 million (then around $2.4 billion). [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/richlist/person/0,,21705,00.html "The Sunday Times" Rich List] ]
On 26 September 2006, it was announced that the Caudwell Group had been sold for a sum of £1.46 billion to
private equity firmsProvidence Equity Partners andDoughty Hanson . [ [http://www.caudwell.com/pressreleases/060926%20-%20Caudwell%20Group%20sale%20completed.pdf Caudwell Group Completes £1.5bn Sale To Private Equity Firms] , Caudwell Press Release, 26 Sep 2006]It is rumored that Caudwell is leading a consortium to purchase Manchester City Football Club. Caudwell has himself dismissed this according to local newspaper "The Sentinel" [ [http://www.thisisthesentinel.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=158315&command=displayContent&sourceNode=192156&contentPK=16163303&folderPk=87595&pNodeId=192189 "The Sentinel"] Dead link|date=February 2008 ] .
Personal life
Caudwell was happily married to his wife of 34 years, Kate, they have since separated but remain great friends and dedicated parents to their three children. John now lives with partner Claire Johnson and the have a 4 year old son, to whom Kate Caudwell is Godmother http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23382483-details/So+John,+why+DID+you+hire+playboy+model+as+the+new+au+pair/article.do] [ [http://www.divorceblogg.com/node/19301?PHPSESSID=02556b2fd8a7df91616beab0aaef5b9c Wealth, women and the mobile phone king... | Divorce Blog] ] [ [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-399571/Wealth-women-mobile-phone-king.html Wealth, women and the mobile phone king | Mail Online] ] [ [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-boss-who-gave-1633500000-to-his-workers-426154.html The boss who gave 3,500,000 to his workers - This Britain, UK - The Independent] ] [ [http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/investing-and-markets/article.html?in_article_id=415075&in_page_id=3 Caudwell hands staff £5,000 cheques | This is Money] ]
External links
* [http://www.realbusiness.co.uk/search/4777906/ill-have-what-john-caudwell-is-having.thtml RealBusiness.co.uk feature]
References
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