Selfridges owners get £101m dividend windfall

Selfridges more than doubled its dividend to £101m last year after a leap in profits. The payout provides another huge windfall for the Westons, the billionaire family behind Associated British Foods, who bought the department store group for £598m in 2003. Selfridges, which has three shops in London, Manchester and Birmingham, grew its profits by 19 per cent to £127m for the year to 29 January, on sales up 11 per cent to £950m, figures released yesterday reveal. The dividend payment compares with a total of £50m in the previous year. The Weston family has an estimated fortune of £6bn and Galen Weston is the chairman of Selfridges, while his daughter, Allanah, is its creative director.