Julian Dunkerton | |
|---|---|
 Dunkerton in June 2014 | |
| Born | March 1965 (age 58) London, England |
| Education | Ibstock Place School Orleans Park School Minster School |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Co-founder of Superdry |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 3 daughters, 1 son |
Julian Marc Dunkerton (born March 1965) is a British businessman, and the co-founder of the fashion label Superdry.
Dunkerton's father Ivor and stepmother Susie founded and ran Dunkertons Organic Cider. [1] [2] Dunkerton moved to Herefordshire from London at the age of 14. [3]
He was educated at Ibstock Place School, London, Orleans Park School, Twickenham, from 11 to 14, and then the Minster School, Herefordshire. [4]
At the age of 19, Dunkerton, along with his then business partner Ian Hibbs, founded the fashion retail chain Cult Clothing Co with a £2,000 loan. [1]
In 2014, Dunkerton took control of his family's cider company, and brought in business partner Jeremy Benson (aka Bean), to work alongside his father Ivor, developing his palate and learning the craft of organic cider and perry making. In 2016, Dunkertons Organic Cider was moved from Herefordshire to a brand new cidery at the 250-acre Dowdeswell Park, near Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. [1]
In 2015, Dunkerton stepped down as chief executive of Superdry and was replaced by Euan Sutherland. [5]
Dunkerton left Superdry in April 2018 to concentrate on his other business interests.[ citation needed ] He owns The Lucky Onion group, which operates a small group of hotels, restaurants and pubs in the Cotswolds, England. [6]
In April 2019, Sutherland resigned as CEO of SuperGroup plc after Dunkerton won a bid to be reinstated to the SuperGroup plc board. [7]
In the early 1990s, Dunkerton stood three times as a Labour Party candidate in the Cheltenham Borough Council elections. He stood in the St. Peter's ward in 1990, [8] and in the Park ward in 1991 [9] and 1992. [10]
In August 2018, Dunkerton donated £1 million to People's Vote, a campaign group calling for a public vote on the final Brexit deal between the UK and the European Union. [11] [12] He believes that the success of the Superdry business could not have occurred if Britain had been outside the European Union at the time. [11]
In the 2019 general election, he voted for the Liberal Democrats. [13]
Dunkerton lives in Cheltenham. [14] In February 2016, he sold just under £50 million of shares to fund his divorce settlement with his wife, Charlotte Abbot. [15] They had two children, one stepdaughter and one daughter. [15] [4]
In 2016, Dunkerton began dating fashion designer Jade Holland Cooper after they met in the bar at one of his hotels in Cheltenham. [16] They went on to marry in August 2018 in the Cotswolds where Craig David sang and Idris Elba deejayed. [14] [17] [16] They have two children, Saphaïa Isabella Dunkerton, born November 2020, and Jamie Dunkerton, born December 2022. [18]
He owns a private jet, which he describes as "a tool rather than an indulgence". [4]
Gloucestershire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire to the east, Wiltshire to the south, Bristol and Somerset to the south-west, and the Welsh county of Monmouthshire to the west. The city of Gloucester is the largest settlement and the county town.
Hereford is a cathedral city and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately 16 miles (26 km) east of the border with Wales, 23 miles (37 km) north-west of Gloucester and 24 miles (39 km) south-west of Worcester. With a population of 53,112 in 2021, it is the largest settlement in Herefordshire.
Cheltenham, also known as Cheltenham Spa and sometimes called "the Garden Town of England", is a spa town on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is also a local government district with borough status. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the most complete Regency town in Britain.
The University of Gloucestershire is a public university based in Gloucestershire, England. It is located over three campuses, two in Cheltenham and one in Gloucester. In March 2021, the university purchased the former Debenhams store in Gloucester City Centre, with a new campus due to open there in 2023.
The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway which runs along the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire border of the Cotswolds, England.
H.Weston & Sons Limited is a cider and perry producer based in Much Marcle, Herefordshire, England. The family-owned company, founded by Henry Weston, has been making cider in the same location since 1880 and the managing director, Helen Thomas, is a fourth generation member of the Weston family. The company had 230 staff as of 2016.
Cheltenham is a constituency in Gloucestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1832. As with all constituencies, it elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years. Since 2015, its MP has been Alex Chalk, who was appointed Secretary of State for Justice in 2023.
Orleans Park School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, located in Twickenham area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. It is situated 10 miles south-west of central London.
Euan Sutherland is a Scottish businessman who was the Chief Executive of SuperGroup plc and Saga plc. He served as the chief executive of Saga from January 2020 to November 2023.
Half of Cheltenham Borough Council is the local authority for Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, England. Half the council is elected every two years, while before 2002 the council was elected by thirds. Since the last boundary changes in 2002, 40 councillors have been elected from 20 wards.
Ipswich High School is a co-educational private school at Woolverstone Hall near Ipswich, England. Formerly an exclusive school for girls, it was converted to co-education in 2018 following acquisition by the China-oriented investment banker London & Oxford Group.
Aston Manor Cider is a former brewery and current cider maker and bottling company in Aston, Birmingham, England. Having started out as a beer brewery, the company now produces exclusively cider and perry. In 2008 it was the third largest cider company in the UK by market share, and the fourth largest in the world. In August 2018 Aston Manor cider was acquired by French co-operative Agrial.
Superdry plc is a English branded clothing company, and owner of the Superdry label. Superdry products combine vintage American styling with Japanese-inspired graphics. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Cheltenham Borough Council is the local authority for Cheltenham, a non-metropolitan district with borough status in Gloucestershire, England. The council is based at the Municipal Offices on the Promenade.
Chase Distillery, Ltd. was a British single-estate distillery based in Herefordshire, United Kingdom. William Chase, the former owner and founder of Tyrrells crisps, founded the family-run business in 2008. Using ingredients sourced on-site at Rosemaund Farm, the distillery focuses its production on potato vodka, gin and cider.
The Borough of Tewkesbury is a local government district with borough status in Gloucestershire, England. The borough is named after its largest town, Tewkesbury, which is where the council is based. The district also includes the town of Winchcombe and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. Parts of the district lie within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
People's Vote was a United Kingdom campaign group that unsuccessfully campaigned for a second referendum following the UK's Brexit vote to leave the European Union (EU) in 2016. The group was launched in April 2018 at which four Members of Parliament spoke, along with the actor Patrick Stewart and other public figures.
Jade Abigail Holland Cooper is a British fashion designer.
James Holder is a British businessman who co-founded the fashion brand Superdry.