John Bloor – the former plasterer turned billionaire – made the Sunday Times Rich List once again in 2026, officially stamping him as the wealthiest man in UK construction. It’s a remarkable rags-to-riches tale. Bloor built his first home in Leicestershire aged 20, before founding Bloor Homes in 1969. Five decades on, that business is the largest privately owned builder in the UK.

Once is a fluke, twice is a pattern. In 1983, Bloor also purchased the struggling Triumph Motorcycles brand for a reported £150,000. Today, Triumph is a global behemoth and one of the UK’s more triumphant manufacturing stories, worthy of its auspicious name.

Save for an OBE award he collected in 1995, Bloor steers clear of the limelight and rarely gives interviews. But it’s clear that business runs in his blood. His son Nick is currently CEO of Triumph Motorcycles. Meanwhile another son, Adrian was previously CEO of Bloor Homes before launching his own, challenger homebuilder in 2022.

Bloor Homes reported a 14 per cent drop in profits in its latest accounts, but the firm has plenty of reasons to feel bullish about the future. Turnover remained steady at £1.25bn in 2025, and the firm will no doubt find plenty of business as the government ramps up its ambitions to build 1.5 million new homes in England by 2030. John Bloor will stay at the helm, having kept 100 per cent ownership of the empire he laid the first brick on.