john caudwell house car lift
PHONES4U billionaire John Caudwell has shown off Britains most expensive home worth 250million after he merged two mansions together. He then knocked them into one giant 43,000 square-foot mansion - the size of Westminster Cathedral or 55 average London flats - before embarking on the revamp. Unlike its muted exterior, which mostly blends into its surroundings, nothing about the homes interior is understated. You cant steal a marble staircase.. Nothing in the Swede's difficult early life (his father was a drug addict and his parents divorced when he was 12) prepared him for huge wealth and, as many lottery winners have found, sudden riches never have the magical effect they're expected to have. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Enter your password to log in. John has covered the walls with photos of his family members recreating snaps of Hollywood royalty in iconic poses, including the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. John Caudwell This account already exists. Officers in the West Midlands say cuts mean they can't afford sirens on their cars, so they can "only chase criminals within the speed limit". Mr Caudwell is married, with three children aged 20, 12 and five, and he is the local co-ordinator for the NSPCC and the founder of a children's charity. The ground floor of the Dragoumanos property has a vast formal drawing and dining room with French doors leading to gardens and a sunken courtyard. ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. It took eight months to sell all 26 phones to plumbers, taxi drivers and television repairmen at a price of 2,000 each. The fully-kitted out kitchen with high end Gaggenau appliances. In a few years this would grow into MPRC, the UK's biggest such enterprise. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Broughton Hall, Staffordshire Phones 4u founder John Caudwell'snew-look Mayfair home has London's largestprivate ballroomafter Buckingham Palace. ft. mega-manse was purchased in 2012 for about $100 million. A birthday dinner Caudwell wanted to hold. "All of a sudden, the phone manager left and the key car salesmen found other jobs, so I had to restructure the business," he says. This extraordinary home has been carved out of two mega mansions in the heart of Mayfair. Money can't buy happiness for John Caudwell. Billionaires have billions of pounds, and theyre entitled to spend them however they wish. The 68-year All the money in the world can't buy you health. ", His voice rises enthusiastically with the memory. Now we've got 30,000 customers on 4U net.". He bounds down the stairs to the reception area of his HQ building to meet me himself, and chats amiably with employees who seem undaunted by him. Total staff numbers have now reached 1,800. There's also a secure underground garage with a hydraulic car lift with space for up to four cars. Julie Neville shares an exclusive access-all-areas tour of her incredible family home, Gogglebox stars Mary and Giles share shocking revelation about Wiltshire home amid relocation reports. "It was just a matter of making everything very tasteful, which ended up being a complete and total bare brick renovation," the 69-year-old said. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Customise cookies or read more in our Cookie Policy. But despite the drastic revamp, he left his beloved ballroom mostly untouched. After a few years of throwing lavish parties, "A big increase from the 10[million] I originally conceived, somewhat naively," he adds. CL. 2021 Associated Newspapers Limited. John Caudwell Interiors were designed by Athens and London-based Sissy Feida and include a 13-metre crystal floor-to-ceiling hanging chandelier in the grand hall. He has been married once and has five children from three different relationships. This enables us to personalise our content for you, greet you by name and remember your preferences (for example, your choice of language or region). "So I managed to talk some big retailers into buying the product from me, on the basis that most of the profit in those days was in selling the airtime, not how much you managed to buy the phone for. Beside the nightclub with the unique mirrored floor sits a games room with a faux rose-covered ceiling. Subscribe now and get up to 61% off the cover price. And, to be fair, Persson, who is no fool, readily admits his plight is unlikely to win him much sympathy. It is decked out with a personalised cinema, a dining room complete with flowing river and live fish and an indoor car park that is also a "beautiful piece of art". With previous unsympathetic alterations to the interiors of both buildings and much of the original fabric removed, MSMR's redevelopment has returned the original plan form to the lower ground floor and moved the modern interventions to the new basement. This Bold, Glitzy Apartment in Dublin Is an Entertainers Dream. "The budget has always been irritating, because the budget went up and up and up and we got to this huge budget of where we are now which is over 65 million," says John. 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"When I do the first charity party, maybe with 80 or 90 people in that ballroom, and we raise a load of money for Caudwell Children, I will enjoy that more than anything else I could ever do in my life," says owner John. Then, one day in 1987, Mr Caudwell, then 34, went to an electronics shop to buy a mobile phone for his business. John Caudwell: a billionaire on a budget | Financial Times Caudwell has good reason to feel this way. "The value in my house is the house itself, but I dont keep any valuables. Subscribe to MoneyWeek now and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE. There's also a sauna for relaxing those tired muscles. WebIt is 6am, and John Caudwell is on his racing bicycle, speeding along the Staffordshire byways. After initial promise in the entrepreneur's club, the young Caudwell became somewhat bogged down. "The suppliers really screwed my business. His family was brought up in poverty in a terraced house in Stoke. Inside the St John's Wood mega mansion and other super-glam homes, Jaw dropping: the crystal chandelier in the grand hall, Vast: a formaldrawing and dining room has French doors leading to gardens and a sunken courtyard, You must be at least 18 years old to create an account, Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number, I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from Evening Standard. asks Carole Malone inthe Sunday Mirror. Every morning, he clocks up 40 miles, returns to his rural manor house, then As the documentary makers, builders and site managers pack up, John is preparing for the 30 or so close friends arriving that evening to celebrate his birthday. he renovation of an extraordinary home carved out of two mega mansions in the heart of Mayfair has been featured in a one-off documentary, Britains Most Expensive Home: Building for a Billionaire, on Channel 4. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations. MSMR successfully secured planning consent for the sensitive redevelopment of two adjoining listed buildings located in the Mayfair Conservation Area. So I ended up servicing phones, repairing phones, wholesaling phones without airtime and wholesaling them with airtime as brokers for airtime companies. Take a sneak peek at the incredible renovation here With the incredible house, John aimed to create one of the most lavish homes to be renovated in the UK. Try it outhere. This would be a tiring journey by car, I say. On the inside I felt the same especially about the staff. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. This helps us to improve the way our website works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily. Both buildings form a single site and are linked at the basement level. * Connect with the best local, qualified and experienced professional near you In 2003 he sold Singlepoint to Vodafone for 405m and completed the sale of the wider business three years later for 1.46 billion to private equity firms Providence Equity Partners and Doughty Hanson. John described the room as a triple threat - "very atmospheric, very comfortable and very luxurious". John Caudwell, 57, founder of Phones 4U, sold the company along with 20:20 Distribution in September 2006 for a combined sum of 1.64bn. If it's caught early itcan be cured by antibiotics, but all too often it isn't: a friend of mine in Scotland still suffers aches and pains from it because doctors were too slow to diagnose the problem. Inside John Caudwell's 250m mega Mayfair mansion ft. mega-manse was purchased in 2012 for about $100 million. Web* Fast and affordable car lift installation services, including home and property jobs like repairs, installation, maintenance, and inspection * Connect with the best local, qualified From the outside, the club looks as though it could do with a lick of paint. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. A newly built 10-bedroom mansion in St Johns Wood has become the most expensive home to go on the London market this year, with a price tag of 75 million. Mayfair is one of Londons priciest neighborhoods; for decades, its been an ultra-exclusive enclave of wealthy Arab oil tycoons and celebrity-laden nightclubs. The reception room is a cosy walnut clad room adorned with jackets designed by the home's owner billionaire businessman John Caudwell. His first success came when he was 10, when he started selling soap products for the blind, door to door. A Chinese owner, who paid 40 million for a plot in Avenue Road two years ago, is building an even bigger 30,000 sq ft house that could be worth close to 100 million when it is finished. From here, guests can see the vintage and luxury cars John chooses to display in his car stacker storage. Plus, get the exclusive Robb Report tote bag FREE. [We may also share this information with third parties for this purpose. Billionaire businessman John Caudwell has given TV viewers a glimpse inside his very own yacht for a new documentary. "They'd say, 'Ooh yeah, that's gorgeous, how much is that?'" "We expect to double our turnover in the next two years," he says. Where is Heidi Klum's model daughter Leni living instead of $9.8m Bel-Air family mansion? "If you think having money means that life is going to be fantastic all the time, that you can move from one wonderful thing to the next, then you need to recalibrate," he says. It looked good, by the end. "I wanted to be able to drive the beautiful old Rolls-Royces my father admired when I was a child." 12 The sprawling 250million mansion is owned by Phones 4 U founder John Caudwell Credit: CHANNEL 4 PICTURE PUBLIC 12 The ground floor of the Dragoumanos property has a vast formal drawing and dining room with French doors leading to gardens and a sunken courtyard. He pointed at them and said: What are these?' Start your Independent Premium subscription today. I replied: Expensive', which was true as they were a pair of black leather trainers from Boss costing me the thick end of 125. Oh, and the house? The 25,000 sq ft neo-classical residence in Avenue Road was built on a plot bought for 14 million in 2013 by Greek property developer George Dragoumanos. We use cookies to give you the best online experience. 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These are cookies that are required for the operation of our website. all phoenix. A newly built 10-bedroom mansion in St Johns Wood has become the most expensive home to go on the London market this year, with a price tag of 75 million. John's friend Dawn Ward, an interior designer and one of the original cast members of ITV reality series The Real Housewives of Cheshire, has spent four years designing the house interiors with her team. Phones4U billionaire John Caudwell shows off Britains most John Caudwell: Inside story "Sometimes," he says, "when I look out of the window in winter and it's dark and two degrees above freezing and sleeting, I hesitate. "That business taught me about the ruthless manipulation of large corporates," he says. And an impeccably decorated Thai-themed dining room also steals the spotlight, with stunning blossom trees and a river which a number of the tropical fish Malawi cichlids call home. The Mobile Phone Repair Company (MPRC) is in four countries, and Dextra, the accessories company, is following suit. The luxury pad, located in London's Mayfair, is a billionaire's paradise with its own bar and cinema. "I was looking for anything I deemed 'good value', regardless of size or price," says John during the programme. He asked to be accredited as a dealer straightaway. ft. mega-manse was purchased in 2012 for about $100 million. His first jobs were, variously, sweeping a pottery floor, manhandling steel ingots in a mill, and working as a nightclub bouncer. Expert and Professional Commercial and Residential Car Lift Installation for Commercial & Residential. Beside the nightclub with the unique mirrored floor sits a games room with a faux rose-covered ceiling. TAKE a look inside John Caudwell's extravagant mansion that's Britain's most expensive home. "I got a retrospective rebate from Motorola if I bought a lot of product. From here, guests can see the vintage and luxury cars John chooses to display in his car stacker storage. City sources say the group has been negotiating with one of the major high street phone retail chains about a possible takeover that would establish Phones 4U as one of the two largest phone retailers in the country. The renovation of an extraordinary home carved out of two mega mansions in the heart of Mayfair is to be featured in a one-off documentary on Channel 4 tonight. There is also a divine games room, which John describes as "great for entertaining in" that helps make the house "super special.". He sometimes registers a "one or two" on the happiness scale when he "should be a nine" out of ten, he tells The Daily Telegraph's Peter Stanford. The philanthropist, who gives back 70% of his fortune for good causes, will use the home as a entertaining and business address for his charitable projects. The Phones4U founder - who grew up in Shelton - has created Britain's most expensive home in Mayfair - and you can see it on TV tonight, Want Stoke-on-Trent news emailed to you direct from our journalists? In the basement, on the wall behind a 40-foot swimming pool, is a spectacular volcanic lava installation which cost 200,000. Mr Caudwell says 4U Net is now a vital part of his plans, though it makes no money for the group. As well as a cinema room, there are further sitting rooms spread across the spacious property. In an increasingly saturated market, customer loyalty, he says, "is absolutely essential, critical", adding: "We need to give them such good value that they don't really want to go anywhere else. On installation, the builders reveal the steel frame alone cost 500,000 and the room for error is just 10 millimetres on either side, meaning if it doesn't fit it would have to be returned to the manufacturers in Turkey. The two ventures that most excite Mr Caudwell now are 4U Net, the free internet service, and E.Commercell, a radical system his technicians have developed to allow recharging of airtime on prepaid mobiles by using a swipe card. Every time I went back to the minibus I had sold my entire allocation, for 5, and I got 1 commission. READ:Julie Neville shares an exclusive access-all-areas tour of her incredible family home, Speaking about the new series, executive producer Dan Barraclough said: "This incredible access gives us a glimpse into the world of the truly mega wealthy, where every whim can be realised, but where things can still go wrong, as on any building site. "I spotted the opportunity that as a small dealer I could buy all the stock I wanted from Motorola, but it was at a high price," he says. Now, through the companies his group owns, he has the biggest UK independent mobile telephony business by some way. Caudwells "Before I really even understood what the term meant, I wanted to be wealthy," he says. "I've got this spectacularly perfect house, if someone spills some red wine on the carpet I'm going to just look away," says John, who sold his Phones 4u chain in 2006 for almost 1.5bn. "After that I pulled off one deal after another. But it wasn't something on my shoes it was my shoes he found unpleasant. That would be enough daily exercise for most middle-aged men, but by 8pm, after a full day's work, Mr Caudwell is back on his bike for two more hours of lane-bashing. At the heart of the programme is the intriguing character of Caudwell himself a tough taskmaster, but also a committed philanthropist. "With a saturated market it's all about value and customer loyalty, and this way I'll gain loyalty for the other businesses. 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If you are looking for a specialized Arizona professional for your car lift installation project, then you are in luck! Some years ago, Harvard psychologists concluded that our brains are designed to stay at a "stable point" of happiness and the intensity of our emotional response to change, whether for good or bad, is less than we think it will be. The ballroom is said to be the largest private ballroom in London after Buckingham Palace. Well, other than Buckingham Palace, of course. By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. The huge property has a ballroom, 15 bedrooms and eight floors, spanning 43,000 sq feet. "I would knock on those doors until I'd been to every door in the neighbourhood. he renovation of an extraordinary home carved out of two mega mansions in the heart of Mayfair has been featured in a one-off documentary, Britains Most Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations. John Caudwell, the founder of Phones4U, is the latest billionaire to tell us that money hasn't made him happy. But I always do it.". Heres a Look Inside. Nor do the cuts seem to be biting everywhere. Whatissurprising, though, is that the owner of the $300 million-plus property is John Caudwell, an Englishman with working-class roots who made his fortune through the mobile phone company Phones 4U, which he sold for 1.5 billion in 2006. As 70% of that is going to charity it swells my ability to give during and after my lifetime.. At the time of listing, it was the most expensive detached house on the open market in the UK. "Wherever there's a business opportunity that marries into what we're doing we'll do it wholeheartedly," says Mr Caudwell. So it comes as no big shock that what is quite likely Britains most expensive home is located in the posh neighborhood. A stuffy old bloke wearing pin-striped trousers looked me up and down as though I had something rather unpleasant on my shoes. It also allows him to keep a watchful eye on his vintage car collection through the glass from the comfort of his extraordinary home. He readily admits he was desperate to find a business idea that would make him rich, but without a commercial family background, in a depressed area where the traditional pottery firms were closing, it was hard for the teenage prodigy to find a viable proposition. "For the first time I based myself in the mobile phone business, which I hadn't been concentrating on before, and within a month I turned the 1,000 a month loss into a 2,000 a month profit.". "Last weekend was pretty tiring," he says. This was not the answer he was looking for and he indicated that I had to leave the club. Iconic high street favourite to return after 4 years as shoppers 'can't wait'. To wind down away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the property boasts an indoor pool with a volcanic lava installation. He sold all Caudwell Group BMW company cars and urged other businesses to do the same. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations with other readers. But one of John's favourite features of the house is the car stacker lift, which is visible from within the house through strong glass, keeping his vintage motors on This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site. Its just jaw dropping.. The 67-year-old billionaire is the 97th richest person in the U.K., according toThe Sunday Times Rich List. "So I bought it, I think it was 87million.". John Caudwell "Are the police having us on?" Its been 16 years, but the UK economy finally has a chance, How to boost your pension pot by over 100,000, The best one-year fixed savings accounts - April 2023, MoneyWeek is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. The extensive renovations of the mansion include a volcano wall, a swimming pool and staircases of solid white marble that connect to each of the eight floors. In Mayfair, the wealthy businessman John Caudwell, founder of the retail chain Phones 4u, was also lusting after a home. Get the Robb Report newsletter for similar stories delivered straight to your inbox. John Caudwell: The millionaire who finally found his calling in mobile Britains Most Expensive Home: Building For a Billionaire, a one-off documentary on Channel 4, followed the highs and lows of his renovation journey. The campaign had only modest success and fizzled out with the Rover sale this month. He is also a speed freak. Inside Britain's most expensive home: Phones 4u tycoon John Avenue Road has become a new billionaires row in recent years, attracting buyers and investors from around the world. This was really the crucial moment, in 1988, when Mr Caudwell finally found his calling. John Caudwell The retailer was selling phones for 1,600 each, and two for 1,350. The house is owned by John Caudwell Speaking about the new series, executive producer Dan Barraclough said: "This incredible access gives us a glimpse John Caudwell is one of Britain's most successful businessmen, having sold his company, Phones4U, back in 2006 for an incredible 1.5billion. The expansive gym includes state of the art equipment. Courtesy of Channel 4. But I couldn't buy that much product because I couldn't sell enough. which can summon any of owner John Caudwell's impressive car collection at the touch of a button. "Yes, that'd be right," he replies with a smile. "It's a massive sadness in my life." We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Interiors were designed by Athens and London-based Sissy Feida and include a 13-metre crystal floor-to-ceiling hanging chandelier in the grand hall. all. READ:Chrissy Teigen shows off her super-tidy pantry and even Marie Kondo is impressed! John's impressive refurbishment is also for the sake of his charity, Caudwell Children. "Little did I know back then I'd have a child in the same situation. He and some friends cycled from Stoke, down the length of Wales, to Oxford and back to Stoke, a distance of 440 miles along winding hill roads in three days. Billionaire businessman John Caudwell bought Audley Street garage and the surrounding buildings in Mayfair for around 155 million in 2011. Although Alta Vista's much-trumpeted announcement that it was doing the same came a few days before, Mr Caudwell's company had run trials last year, and launched its service when the American company was still planning its free launch. post. The luxury pad, located in London's Mayfair, is a billionaire's paradise with its own bar and cinema. Both buildings form a single site and are linked at the basement level. He sold around 15 cars a week. Caudwell added: "Although refugees will benefit from the safety and shelter I can provide, I suspect the experience will be unique, humbling and deeply enriching for me as well. He acquired the site in 2012 and, after several years in the planning stage, a three-year build phase is finally set to begin this year. He never made a profit. Rufus's case is much worse. Instead, he hopes to host charity events for Caudwell Children, a 20-year-old charity he founded dedicated to helping children with disabilities and their families. He left school at 16, three months into A-levels in maths, physics and chemistry. On the third floor, a former conservatory is a Thai-style dining room with a 15-foot preserved cherry tree and silk pink blossom hanging over the table. "When he was ten, [he] started developing what appeared to be mental problems panic attacks, serious agoraphobia and a terror of sickness," says his father. Inside Stoke-on-Trent billionaire Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile, It is 6am, and John Caudwell is on his racing bicycle, speeding along the Staffordshire byways. From 10, Mr Caudwell says he had one aim. By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. The group's 1999 turnover was 596m, up from 160m in 1996. Mr Caudwell has built his businesses up from scratch and, with his brother Brian, a minority investor, is estimated to be worth 300m, placing the duo 85th on The Sunday Times Rich List. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. He attended Shelton Church of England School and then Berry Hill High School before abandoning his A-levels to become an apprentice at Michelin and later becoming a second-hand car dealer. He hit the headlines in April when he launched an internet campaign to save Rover after BMW said it was selling. Sign up for exclusive newsletters, comment on stories, enter competitions and attend events.
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