Charlie Mullins
Charlie Mullins | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sidney Charles Mullins 28 October 1952 St Pancras, London, England |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder and CEO, Pimlico Plumbers |
| Political party | Reform UK (since 2024) |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 4 |
Sidney Charles Mullins OBE (born 28 October 1952) is a British businessman. He is the founder of Pimlico Plumbers, London's largest independent plumbing company, which he sold in 2021.[1][2]
Early life
[edit]Mullins is the son of a factory worker father and his mother who worked as a cleaner.[1] When he was born, they "lived in a couple of rooms in Camden", before moving to the Rockingham Estate in London's Elephant and Castle, where he grew up, and left school at 15 with no qualifications.[1][3][4]
Career
[edit]Mullins was apprenticed to a local plumber at age 15.[1] In 1979, he founded Pimlico Plumbers operating from a basement in Pimlico.[5]
He is known for his collection of plumbing-themed number plates, used on the company's vehicles, and worth around £1.5 million.[3]
In September 2021, Mullins sold a 90% shareholding of Pimlico Plumbers to US home services group Neighborly in a deal worth between £125 million and £145 million.[6] At the point of sale, the business had revenues of $70 million and employed over 400 people.[6] Mullins' son, Scott Mullins, remains Chief Executive with a 10% stake.[6]
Politics
[edit]Pimlico Plumbers donated £22,735 to the Conservative Party in 2015, and Mullins donated more than £48,000, in the two years to July 2017.[1] He was a business adviser to David Cameron and George Osborne, and was a vocal critic of Brexit.[7]
In January 2018, Mullins announced that he would no longer be a Conservative Party donor, and declared his candidacy as an independent at the 2021 London mayoral election (which had been scheduled for 2020, before being postponed) but Mullins did not appear on the ballot paper.[1] In March 2018, Mullins said he would financially support the Liberal Democrats to support their campaign to prevent Brexit.[8] During the 2024 election campaign Mullins announced he had joined Reform UK.[9]
In August 2023, Mullins' Twitter account was suspended after he posted a tweet saying that "someone should kill" Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. Mullins subsequently apologised for the tweet.[10] In September 2024 following the Labour Party's general election win, Mullins announced that he would be selling his London penthouse and permanently relocating to Spain and Dubai, in response to rumours that the government intended to increase the rate for inheritance tax.[11]
Personal life
[edit]He divorced his first wife, Lynda, to whom he had been married for 41 years. She is the mother of their four children, two of whom work for the company. He then married Julie Anne Morris, who also worked for Pimlico Plumbers. The couple later divorced.[12][3]
Mullins was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours, for services to the plumbing industry.[13]
He owns a villa in Marbella, Spain.[5]
Works
[edit]- Bog-Standard Business: How I Took the Plunge and Became the Millionaire Plumber, 2015,288pp, ISBN 978-1784183356, John Blake Publishing Ltd.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f ""We need a stronger leader": Charlie Mullins, the millionaire plumber, pulls Tory funding". www.newstatesman.com. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Pimlico Plumbers sold to US firm Neighborly". BBC News. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ a b c "A-list clients and Dubai escapes – the norm for Pimlico Plumbers boss". realbusiness.co.uk. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "How I Made It: Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ a b Prevett, Hannah. "I knew I was on a winning horse all those years ago, and it's still winning". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Thomas, Daniel (20 September 2021). "Mullins sells Pimlico Plumbers to US company Neighborly". Financial Times. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ O'Carroll, Lisa (5 October 2018). "Millionaire refuses to take down 'Bollocks to Brexit' poster". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ Santolo, Alessandra Scotto di (2 March 2018). "'We need to back out!' Charlie Mullins vows to donate millions to Lib Dems to STOP Brexit". Daily Express. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ @PoliticsJOE_UK (3 June 2024). "Big change of heart..Anti-Brexit campaigner Charlie Mullins hints that he will stand for election with the Reform Party" (Tweet). Retrieved 3 June 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Simpson, Jack (31 August 2023). "Twitter blocks Charlie Mullins for posting 'someone should kill' Sadiq Khan". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ Burton, Lucy (7 September 2024). "Pimlico Plumbers founder to sell £12m penthouse as he flees Britain ahead of tax raid". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 8 September 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ Brown, David (20 February 2016). "Self made supporter of the apprentice". Retrieved 26 January 2018 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ "New Year's Honours lists 2015" (PDF). Government of the United Kingdom: Cabinet Office and Foreign Office. 30 December 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
External links
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