Mark Dixon (businessman)
Encyclopedia
Mark Dixon is an Essex
born English
businessman, best known as the founder of serviced office business Regus
.
(now St Peters College). On noticing that a new housing estate needed nourishment for its gardens, he sold peat
distributed by wheelbarrow
.
making business Dial-a-Snack, which delivered locally on a butcher
s bicycle
. After the business failed, he travelled the world, becoming: a barman in St Tropez; a miner in Australia
; a farmhand in Asia
; and selling encyclopaedias.
Returning to Essex, he invested £600 in a burger van, based on London
's North Circular road. From profits he then bought seven other vans, but found difficulty in obtaining good and regular bun
supply. Travelling between meetings on either a bicycle or in one of his vans, he set up The Bread Roll Company to supply his own and other mobile fast food
vendors, which he sold in 1988 for £800,000.
Relocating to Brussels
, Belgium
, he set up an apartment
rental business. While sitting in a cafe, he regularly noticed how local business people were forced to meet around the small tables of local coffee shops, and resultantly set up Regus
in 1989. Floated in October 2000, it was valued at £1.5bn. By mid-2001, the business worth £2bn, with Dixon's 60pc stake making him a billionaire
. However, in light of the failure of the dot.com boom, Dixon's stake fell and he was value at less than £80m, with the UK arm of the business being sold to Alchemy Partners
.
Dixon has since rebuilt the business, and now owns the Chateau de Berne vineyard
in Provence
.
, in 1987. After marrying in 1988 and selling his baking business, they moved to Virginia Water
, and have two children. Dixon has three children from prior relationships.
In late 2003, the family moved to Connecticut
so Dixon could improve the US business performance of Regus. In 2005, Dixon divorced Trudy, the mother to two of his five children, in a £28.7m settlement. Dixon is presently resident for tax reasons in Monaco
.
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
born English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
businessman, best known as the founder of serviced office business Regus
Regus
Regus plc is a multinational corporation that provides serviced office accommodation in business centres worldwide. As of March 2011, it operates 1,100 business centres in 85 countries. The Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...
.
Biography
The son of a Ford car mechanic, Dixon was educated at Rainsford comprehensive schoolComprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
(now St Peters College). On noticing that a new housing estate needed nourishment for its gardens, he sold peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
distributed by wheelbarrow
Wheelbarrow
A wheelbarrow is a small hand-propelled vehicle, usually with just one wheel, designed to be pushed and guided by a single person using two handles to the rear, or by a sail to push the ancient wheelbarrow by wind. The term "wheelbarrow" is made of two words: "wheel" and "barrow." "Barrow" is a...
.
Career
Leaving school at 16, Dixon founded sandwichSandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
making business Dial-a-Snack, which delivered locally on a butcher
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
s bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
. After the business failed, he travelled the world, becoming: a barman in St Tropez; a miner in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
; a farmhand in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
; and selling encyclopaedias.
Returning to Essex, he invested £600 in a burger van, based on London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's North Circular road. From profits he then bought seven other vans, but found difficulty in obtaining good and regular bun
Bun
A bun is a small, usually sweet, bread. Commonly they are hand-sized or smaller, domed in shape, with a flat bottom. A bun can also be a savory bread roll similar to a bap or barmcake....
supply. Travelling between meetings on either a bicycle or in one of his vans, he set up The Bread Roll Company to supply his own and other mobile fast food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
vendors, which he sold in 1988 for £800,000.
Relocating to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, he set up an apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
rental business. While sitting in a cafe, he regularly noticed how local business people were forced to meet around the small tables of local coffee shops, and resultantly set up Regus
Regus
Regus plc is a multinational corporation that provides serviced office accommodation in business centres worldwide. As of March 2011, it operates 1,100 business centres in 85 countries. The Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...
in 1989. Floated in October 2000, it was valued at £1.5bn. By mid-2001, the business worth £2bn, with Dixon's 60pc stake making him a billionaire
Billionaire
A billionaire, in countries that use the short scale number naming system, is a person who has a net worth of at least one billion units of a given currency, usually the United States dollar, Euro, or Pound sterling. Forbes magazine updates a complete list of U.S. dollar billionaires around the...
. However, in light of the failure of the dot.com boom, Dixon's stake fell and he was value at less than £80m, with the UK arm of the business being sold to Alchemy Partners
Alchemy Partners
Alchemy Partners is a British private equity firm, which specialises in leveraged management buyouts, management buy-ins and the provision of later stage development capital.Alchemy was founded in 1997 by Martin Bolland and Jon Moulton...
.
Dixon has since rebuilt the business, and now owns the Chateau de Berne vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
in Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
.
Personal life
Dixon met his ex-wife, journalist Trudy Groves who was then sub-editor on the Luton NewsHerald and Post
The Herald and Post is the name given to various weekly freesheets that deliver to households in much of the United Kingdom. The title is published by a variety of publishers; each edition consisting mainly of advertising and promotional pieces, with news items often sourced from sister publications...
, in 1987. After marrying in 1988 and selling his baking business, they moved to Virginia Water
Virginia Water
Virginia Water is an affluent village, a lake and, originally, a stream, the village being in the Runnymede Borough Council in Surrey and the bodies of water stretching over the borders of Runnymede, Old Windsor and Sunninghill and Ascot, England....
, and have two children. Dixon has three children from prior relationships.
In late 2003, the family moved to Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
so Dixon could improve the US business performance of Regus. In 2005, Dixon divorced Trudy, the mother to two of his five children, in a £28.7m settlement. Dixon is presently resident for tax reasons in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
.
External links
- Bio of Dixon at RegusRegusRegus plc is a multinational corporation that provides serviced office accommodation in business centres worldwide. As of March 2011, it operates 1,100 business centres in 85 countries. The Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...