Matt Moulding
Matt Moulding (February 1972)[1] is founder of The Hut Group.
Matt Moulding | |
---|---|
Born | Matthew John Moulding February 1972 (age 48) Colne, Lancashire |
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Businessman |
Known for | Founder of The Hut Group |
Net worth | |
Children | 4 |
Early life
Moulding was born in Burnley, Lancashire and attended Fisher More High School in Colne.[2]
Moulding studied industrial economics at the University of Nottingham before going on to qualify as a chartered accountant.[3][4] His father was a tarmac contractor and his mother was an antiques trader.[5]
He went on to work at the Caudwell Group, where he became finance director of the distribution business, working directly with John Caudwell.[3][5]
Career
In 2004, Moulding founded The Hut Group, originally inspired from buying a CD online.[3] He said that he recognised that selling online could be "fundamentally so much cheaper".[3]
After investing £500,000 in the company, it took the business three years to break even, initially selling CDs online from the Channel Islands to avoid VAT.[3][5] Moulding persuaded Sir Terry Leahy and Sir Stuart Rose to become early investors.[6][7]
Following the launch of the iPhone and rising in digital music streaming Moulding shifted his focus to selling other products online, and acquired a number of other e-commerce businesses, including IWantOneOfThose.com, Lookfantastic, MyProtein, Zavvi, and Illamasqua.[3] In 2014, KKR bought a 20 percent of the business.[6]
In 2013, it was reported that Moulding was considering floating the company.[8]
As of 2016, the company operates 100 e-commerce websites.[3] As of 2018, the company operated 166 websites.[5]
In 2018, it was announced that Moulding would be stepping down as CEO to become Executive Chairman.[9]
Personal life
Moulding lives in Northwich, and has four children.[6] He has said that he avoids international travel.[6] Moulding owns a Lamborghini Urus.[2]
In 2015, Moulding signed a letter supporting the Conservative Party in the 2015 general election.[10]
According to The Sunday Times Rich List in May 2019, he has a net worth of £600 million.[11] In an interview Moulding gave to The Sunday Times in July 2019, he said he earns "about £1 million" a year.[2]
He is a supporter of the Seashell Trust.[2]
References
- "Matthew John MOULDING - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- Evans, Peter. "Online boss whose control is as tight as his T-shirt". www.thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Begum, Shelina (11 December 2016). "How buying a CD online led to a £500m company". men. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- "Matthew Moulding Takes The Executive Chair of The Hut Group". The Hut Group. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- Shah, Oliver (10 June 2018). "The Hut Group: Northwich's answer to Estée Lauder". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0956-1382. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- Anderson, Elizabeth (24 May 2015). "Hut Group boss happy to stay private". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- "Debrett's 500 List: Entrepreneurs". The Telegraph. 20 January 2017. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- Butler, Sarah (20 September 2013). "The Hut packs a punch and eyes up £250m flotation". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- "British tech 'unicorn' The Hut Group launches board shake-up". Sky News. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- Watt, Holly; Mason, Rowena; Siddique, Haroon; Grierson, Jamie; Pegg, David (1 April 2015). "Donors and peers among signatories of pro-Tory business letter". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- Times, The Sunday (12 May 2019). "Rich List 2019: profiles 201-249=". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 4 July 2019.