John Whittaker (businessman)

John Whittaker (born 14 March 1942) is a real estate British businessman. He is the Chairman of the Peel Group, a property investment enterprise that mainly invests in North West England. Although publicity-shy, he has been named as one of the most influential business leaders for Greater Manchester and the North West by the Manchester Evening News (2007)[2] and was named the most influential northerner by The Big Issue magazine in 2010.[3]

For other people named John Whittaker, see John Whittaker (disambiguation).

John Whittaker
Born (1942-03-14) 14 March 1942[1]
Bury, Lancashire, England, UK
NationalityBritish
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1940s–present
Net worth GB£1.95 billion (Sunday Times Rich List, 2019)
TitleChairman of the Peel Group
Spouse(s)Patricia Whittaker
Children
  • Mark
  • James
  • Kate
  • John
  • Max

According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2019, Whittaker is worth £1.95 billion, a decrease of £300 million from 2018.

Early life

Whittaker was born to John and May Whittaker in Bury, Lancashire in 1942. He was educated at Prior Park College, a Catholic boarding school in Bath, Somerset, and considered becoming a priest before deciding to join the family business, Peel Mills.[4]

The Peel Group

In the 1980s he fought a bitter battle to take over the Manchester Ship Canal Company, out of which the Trafford Centre emerged.[5]

Whittaker sold the 1.5m sq ft Trafford Centre to Capital Shopping Centres (now Intu Properties) in January 2011. Under the terms of the deal, which valued the Manchester scheme at £1.6 billion, his company, Peel, took shares in CSC worth £636m and he joined its board as deputy chairman.[6] Whittaker resigned as deputy chairman in July 2020 following the company going into administration.[7]


In 2010, his wealth doubled from £1.01 billion to £2.07 billion,[8] mainly thanks to the £1.65 billion sale of the Trafford Centre.[8]

In 2011, Peel bid to increase its approximately 30% stake in the Pinewood Studios Group to 100% through a bid against fellow billionaire, Mohamed Al Fayed. After increasing the bid to £96.1 million ($160 million), it appeared the bid would be successful. The group also bought MediaCityUK, a development in the northern English city of Salford, Greater Manchester, that will serve as the BBC’s new headquarters.[9]

In 2013, Peel Group started an Ocean Gateway project, aiming to transform 50 miles of industrial land between the Port of Liverpool and Salford Docks into a £50 billion redevelopment called “Ocean Gateway”.[10] Whittaker hoped the Manchester development would become a Chinese business hub. He accompanied the Prime Minister on his trade mission to Beijing in 2010.

According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2019, Whittaker is worth £1.95 billion, a decrease of £300 million from 2018.[11] In June 2019, The Sunday Times reported that Peel was liquidating stakes in Peel Ports and Liverpool airport to cover losses at Intu Properties where Peel Group owned 27.3%.[5]

Business reputation

Whittaker has been regarded as a publicity-shy businessman who rarely gives interviews.[4] In 2010 when Simon Property Group attempted to purchase the Trafford Centre, insiders saw Whittaker as "formidable opposition" and a "very astute, very clever and a very good businessman".[12] One such example of his astute business mind was convincing the BBC to reject three other sites across Manchester to move to MediaCityUK in Salford Quays. The presence of the BBC would then act as a magnet to attract indie production companies to Salford and the Peel Group would make money from the rent and lease agreements on the development.[13]

Personal life

Whittaker currently lives on the Isle of Man [9] He has five children Mark, James, Kate, John and Max.[14]

Whittaker donated £1m to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. The donation was partly attributed to personal feelings for the cause.[4]

References
  1. "#1511 John Whittaker". Forbes. 14 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  2. "Who is our greatest captain of industry?". Manchester Evening News. 15 February 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  3. "Hot Property". bigissueinthenorth.com. 24 October 2010. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011.
  4. "Profile: John Whittaker". The Scotsman. 28 March 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  5. Collingridge, John (16 June 2019). "Trafford Centre tycoon John Whittaker forced to shrink empire". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  6. Thomas, Daniel (12 February 2011). "Whittaker has more to offer than the rococo". Financial Times. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  7. "Intu deputy chair John Whittaker resigns - Retail Gazette". www.retailgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  8. "Double your money: Peel tycoon John Whittaker surges up rich list". Manchester Evening News. 9 May 2011.
  9. O'Connor, Clare (28 April 2011). "Billionaires In Bidding War Over James Bond Film Studios". Forbes. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  10. Harper, Tom (18 October 2013). "The biggest company you've never heard of: Lifting the lid on Peel Group - the property firm owned by reclusive tax exile John Whittaker". The Independent. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  11. "Rich List 2019: profiles 53-100, featuring Mike Ashley and Bernie Ecclestone". The Sunday Times. 12 May 2019. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  12. Kollewe, Julia (11 January 2011). "Sale of Trafford Centre ends battle for control of CSC". The Guardian. London.
  13. Stephenson, David (25 July 2010). "How BBC's move to Salford will make tycoon richer". Daily Express. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  14. "The man who built Peel Holdings". Manchester Evening News. 3 February 2005. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
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