River Island founder Bernard Lewis left £40m fortune to his family
River Island founder Bernard Lewis OBE left a £40million fortune to his family, new documents show.
The late entrepreneur, who died in February, aged 100, left behind a third wife and five children, Leonard, Clive, Sam, Jake and Caroline – and in his will detailed specific wishes for the distribution of his wealth.
The probate records, now released publicly, reveal his estate was valued at “£40,399,022 and the net value amounts to £37,047,55”.
The London-born retail magnate, who had served in the RAF during WW2, bequeathed his share of the family home and all his personal belongings to his wife Vanessa.
The rest of his fortune was then split between his five children but the docs contain a statement referring specifically to two of his kids, eldest son Leonard, and only daughter Caroline – who appear to have been given a lesser share.
Reports the Mirror, Mr Lewis wrote: “The reason I have not left them a greater part of my estate is not from any want of affection by me for them but purely because I have otherwise provided for them during my lifetime.”
The businessman started out selling fruit and veg from a market stall in an old bomb shelter in Notting Hill in 1946, aged 20.
Two years later he opened a second site in Hackney, called The Wool Shop, selling knitting wool and ladies clothing.
A post-war demand for women’s clothing saw him re-focus and the business began designing and making clothes in-house.
Its first own design came out in 1950 – a white, lace trimmed blouse with capped sleeve.
Lewis was joined by his three brothers, David, Geoffrey and Godfrey, and expanded the chain to nine stores under the name Lewis Separates.
By 1965, they had a 70 store empire in the UK which was ultimately rebranded as Chelsea Girl, after its store in King’s Road – with upmarket Chelsea a hub for fashion, music and pop culture during the Swinging Sixties.
In the 1980s, menswear was introduced with Chelsea Man then Concept Man launched as a sister brand – and in 1988 River Island launched as a menswear store in Exeter.
The name was inspired by Lewis’ eldest son Leonard’s time spent on a boat on the Thames, and it performed so well the whole business was rebranded from Chelsea Girl to River Island the same year.
Leonard had become his dad’s right-hand man in business at this point.
Today, River Island is headquartered in West London and employs around 8,400 people in the UK.
Lewis was made an OBE in the 2009 New Year Honours list for his charitable services.
A spokesperson for River Islandtold Drapersin March: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bernard Lewis, one of the great pioneers of British retail, at the age of 100.
“Bernard’s life was defined by hard work, innovation and an unwavering commitment to the business he built from the ground up.
“Our thoughts are with his family and those who worked with him over many decades.”
World Affairs Correspondent
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