David Reiss | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 1943 (age 81) London, England |
| Known for | Founder, Reiss |
| Spouse | Rosemary Reiss |
| Children | Ali Reiss-Cooper, Darren Reiss, Debra Reiss (3) |
| Parent | Joshua Reiss |
David Anthony Reiss (born May 1943) is the founder of the British global fashion chain Reiss.
According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2019, Reiss is worth £240 million. [1]
David Anthony Reiss was born to a Jewish family in May 1943. [2] His father, Joshua Reiss, operated a store in Bishopsgate that was founded by his uncle, Samuel Reiss (born 1903) who was an immigrant from a south-eastern Polish shtetl in Radomyśl Wielki. [3] His family were members of the orthodox Raleigh Close (Hendon United Synagogue) [3] and Reiss studied at Carmel College, a former Jewish boarding school in Oxfordshire. [4]
Reiss took over his father's gentlemen's outfitters on the corner of Bishopsgate and Petticoat Lane in the City of London, in 1971, when he was in his 20s. [5] He then moved on to manufacturing, and in 1980 opened a flagship store in Chelsea selling his eponymous brand, as well as establishing a factory in Wakefield producing his clothes. [6] Reiss remained chairman of the firm until 2021, when he resigned at the age of 78 and was replaced by former Next CEO Simon Wolfson, [7] having been retained following a majority stake in the business being sold to the American private equity firm Warburg Pincus for £230 million in 2016. [8] Reiss and his family retain a "significant stake" in Reiss Limited, [9] and are also involved in a range of philanthropic causes following their departure from the management of the business.
Reiss is married to Rosemary Reiss; [10] they have three children: Ali Reiss-Cooper, Debra Reiss and Darren Reiss, and lives in Hampstead, London. [11] Reiss's son is a director at HSBC and is married to Abi Reiss. His daughter, Debra, worked for the chain in Los Angeles until her death from a long-term illness in 2015. [12] David's eldest daughter Ali Reiss-Cooper was involved in the business for many years before leaving in her 30s to concentrate on her children. She remarried Jonathan Cooper in 2022, founder of Michael Charles Surveyors. [13]
His "only extravagance" is a Bentley. [14]