Insider Media Limited

Two East Midlands entrants have made it onto Midlands Business Insider's Rich List top ten this year. The Rich List, which chronicles the wealth of the top 100 working millionaires in the Midlands, reveals that the total wealth has hit a new high of £15.8bn.

This figure eclipses last year's £13.6bn total and easily beats the pre-credit crunch peak of £13.5bn in 2007.

Of the list's top ten millionaires, two feature from the East Midlands. Freddie Linett of Leicester's Charles Street Buildings, is one of five property tycoons to take a spot.

Profits at Charles Street Buildings (Leicester) fell from £33.6m to £30.7m in the year to November 2010. Freddie Linnett is a director and leading shareholder in the business, which was started by her uncles who came to Britain from Ireland after the war.

When they died, Linnett inherited their stakes. We value the business on its near £516m net assets. Other assets and nearly £94m of dividends from 1995 to 2010 take Linnett and the Leicester-based Murphy family to £550m.

Will Adderley, of Leicester-based retailer Dunelm, is the top ten's youngest entrant at 39-years-old.

Curtains-to-cushions retailer Dunelm increased profits from £76.8m to £83.6m in 2010/11 on sales up sharply to £538.5m.

Bill and Jean Adderley started in 1979 selling ready-made curtains at a budget price on a market stall in Leicester, then progressed to opening small high-street shops across the East Midlands and the north of England in 1984.

They opened their first superstore in 1991, helped by their son Will, who joined the business after university. The family stake is worth £532m. They sold £150m worth of shares at and after the float. Past dividends, including a £13.5m dividend for 2010/11, take the family to £705m.

The table has a new man at the top for 2011 after Phones4U founder John Caudwell, based in Stoke, was nudged into second place.

The main reason behind the 16.1 per cent increase in wealth is down to the success of the company which takes up the number one spot – yellow digger manufacturer JCB.

Sir Anthony Bamford's company more than doubled its profits in 2010 to £235m on much higher sales of £2bn. This came on the back of a record year in India and profits are expected to recover strongly.

JCB, based in Staffordshire, was founded by Bamford's late father in 1945. Insider values the business at £2bn.

The full Rich List detailing all 100 entrants is available in next month's Midlands Business Insider, on sale on 24 November.