https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6288013/How-billionaire-Anders-Holch-Povlsen-45-largest-landowner-ELEVEN-vast-estates.html
He began building this ever-growing property portfolio 12 years ago, in the autumn of 2006, with the Β£7.9 million acquisition of Glenfeshie, a 42,000-acre patch of the Cairngorms National Park.
Anders Povlsen with wife Anne Bryllup owns 11 Scottish estates, and a castle, covering an astonishing 221,000 acres +9
Anders Povlsen with wife Anne Bryllup owns 11 Scottish estates, and a castle, covering an astonishing 221,000 acres
Aldourie Castle is set within 500 acres of prime Scottish real estate near Loch Ness and is owned by Povlsen +9
Aldourie Castle is set within 500 acres of prime Scottish real estate near Loch Ness and is owned by Povlsen
Two years later, he spent another Β£15.5 million acquiring the 23,000-acre Braeroy estate near Fort William, nearby Tulloch, and Lynaberack in the Cairngorms. Four estates were added between 2011 and 2015, and another three in 2016.
Today his Scottish landholdings, many of which we show on these pages, cover an area half the size of Worcestershire, and recently surpassed the mere 217,000 acres owned by the Duke of Buccleuch.
As a result, the reclusive Dane became Britainβs biggest private landowner, kicking the Dukes of Atholl (144,000), Northumberland (100,000) and Westminster (133,000) off their aristocratic perches, and making the Prince of Wales, who owns a paltry 130,000 acres, look like a veritable pauper.
Povlsen, 45, owes his ability to scoop up real estate to Bestseller, the vast fashion empire founded by his father, Troels, in 1975. Starting with a single store in the small Danish town of Brande, the company is now behind a sprawling empire that employs 15,000 people and owns brands such as Jack & Jones and Vero Moda, along with almost 30 per cent of ASOS, Britainβs biggest internet fashion retailer. Its success has helped him build a fortune estimated at Β£5.4 billion.
Though he lives with partner Anne Storm Pedersen, 40, at Constantinsborg, a neo-classical former royal palace near Aarhus, heβs famed for driving a battered VW Golf.
The couple, who met when Anne began working in sales for Bestseller, send their four children to state schools.
Povlesen's first buy was Glenfeshie, whose 42,000 acres inspired Sir Edwin Landseer's Monarch of the Glen +9
Povlesen's first buy was Glenfeshie, whose 42,000 acres inspired Sir Edwin Landseer's Monarch of the Glen
Wild hunt: The 19,500 acre Gaick estate in the Cairngorms is accessible only by off-road vehicle +9
Wild hunt: The 19,500 acre Gaick estate in the Cairngorms is accessible only by off-road vehicle
The Ben Loyal lodge and estate were snapped up by Povlsen back in 2012 which makes up 24,000 acres +9
The Ben Loyal lodge and estate were snapped up by Povlsen back in 2012 which makes up 24,000 acres
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In typical Scandinavian style, their Scottish estates are run according to egalitarian principles. They are devoted to βre-wildingβ β a trendy ecological practice in which landowners allow their estates to return to a βnatural stateβ.
They have duly embarked on Britainβs biggest reforestation project, planting millions of trees and culling thousands of deer which have no natural predator, so have traditionally roamed the mountains in unnaturally large herds.
At Glenfeshie, between 600 and 700 are killed each year, meaning the remainder are no longer forced to graze at forest margins, and indigenous plants can flourish along with the animal life they support.
Itβs part of a 200-year project to restore βnatural balanceβ to the landscape, at a cost of roughly Β£10 million a year. Povlsen has also mooted the idea of reintroducing Lynx and wolves to the Highlands.
But his stewardship has not been without critics.
Owners of neighbouring sporting estates have voiced criticism of his deer management, saying it reduces the number of stags for their clients to stalk.
Meanwhile, Left-leaning tub-thumpers from both the Labour and ruling SNP parties have voiced chippy complaints about the injustice of a single wealthy foreigner now owning such vast swathes of Scotland.
What no one can deny is the economic boost that Povlsen brings to this under-populated and relatively disadvantaged corner of Britain.
For in addition to βre-wildingβ, the billionaire has poured millions of pounds into converting lodges, cottages and farmhouses into upmarket holiday retreats.
hunting castles and lodges for the rich