The Sunday Times Rich List 2022. Global Big Beerage remains rich
I’ve criticised the rigour of the Sunday Times rich list before not least because the rich don’t often make it easy to understand how much they are really worth, all part of the joys of capitalism.
The 2022 list again covers only the top 250 richest people as opposed to the 1,000 in 2020. No doubt this is due to Rupert Murdoch cost cutting but it probably makes the list more robust. Perhaps the precise ranking can be queried but there can be no doubt that those featured are indeed very seriously wealthy
With 250 names we don’t get to find out how people like Brewdog’s Martin Dickie or Wetherspoon’s Tim Martin have done over the last year. Suffice to say however that they remain rather wealthy.
In fact the 2022 Rich List contains just three members of what might reasonably be called the Big Beerage.
The last year has seen many in the hospitality industry lose their jobs or they have been furloughed. Others have lost their businesses. The Big Beerage by contrast has done rather well.
Charlene De Carvalho-Heineken remains at the top. She is still 10th (was 9th) on the rich list with a wealth of £11,421bn. That is down £592bn on 2021 partly it seems due to the acquisition of a 10% stake in Double Dutch drinks which makes tonics and mixers but also due to withdrawal from Russia. Ms Carvalho-Heineken owns a 23% stake in the brewer with her husband Michel De Carvalho. So, er, cheers still, particularly in this case for the UK craft breweries where Heineken have a stake…
Next at 76(last year 70) are Alejandro Santo Domingo and Lady Charlotte Wellesley. The latter is a descendant of Queen Victoria which may interest Perry Anderson and a certain strand of New Left Review thought. The former however was instrumental in selling SAB Miller to ABInBev. He still has a 1.7% holding. Their overall wealth is valued at £2.4bn similar 2021
Meanwhile the Earl of Iveagh (Ned to you) and the Guinness Family are 173rd on the list (175th in 2021) with a wealth of £1bn up a ‘modest’ £66m on 2021. The ST reported in 2020 that the Guinness family have launched a new crazy-golf venture called bunkers…
The Big Beerage features in small numbers amongst a Rich List comprised of very wealthy people in property, finance, fashion and so on. However at the very top those involved in the drinks trade have clearly had a very good year again Unlike everyone else…
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