Dame Mary Perkins
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Mary is Britain's first self-made female billionaire as the co-founder of Specsavers.
Summary:
In 2011, Dame Mary Perkins became Britain's first female self-made billion as the optician chain herself and her husband founded, Specsavers, reached an all time high. After founding the store in 1984, Mary and her husband now have over 1,500 stores across the world.
Biography:
In 2011, Dame Mary Perkins became Britain's first female self-made billion as the optician chain herself and her husband founded, Specsavers, reached an all time high. After founding the store in 1984, Mary and her husband now have over 1,500 stores across the world.
Born in Bristol, the businesswoman was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2007 in recognition for her work. Now, several decades after opening her first store in the 1960s, Dame Mary heads a business which boasts more than 1,500 stores across 10 countries. The 42% increase in their wealth from last year, when the couple’s fortune stood at £810 million, makes Dame Mary Britain’s first self-made woman billionaire, the list suggests.
Last year, Specsavers' UK operation showed profits of £21.7m on £390m sales; and Specsavers' total turnover (including Britain) is expected to hit £1.6bn for the year just ended, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
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