SCOUSER TOM IN £3.4BN HOME WIN

Retail kingpin is richest ever Liverpudliän after sales boom

- GRAHAM HISCOTT

RAGS-to-riches businessman Tom Morris has been named the wealthiest Liverpudlian in history.

Home Bargains magnate Tom Morris, 69, opened his first store in the Old Swan area of the city in 1976, aged just 21.

The chain now has more than 575 stores and is one of Britain's biggest privately owned firms.

The latest Sunday Times Rich List puts his family's fortune at £6.1billion, up £1bn on last year, making him the 29th richest person in Britain.

Last year he placed 37th. In contrast, fellow Liverpudlian Sir Paul McCartney is worth a paltry £1.8bn.

Publicity-shy tycoon Mr Morris - who owns a private jet and a helicopter - has never given a media interview.

But his brother Joe has given some insight into Tom, once saying of him: "He has a real sense of smell for the retail business. The key is good buying.