Specsavers founders Douglas and Mary Perkins vaulted 19 places from their previous ranking to 158 in the Sunday Times Rich List of Britain's 2,000 wealthiest people published on April 26.
The business they founded in 1984 after the £2m sale of their previous 23-practice optical chain in the West Country is now valued at £500m and opened its 1,000th store in Holland in January. With sales of £900m in 2008, the couple hope their business will surpass £1bn in turnover this year.
The rise in the rankings, caused by a recent sales surge, placed them on an equal footing with Sir Paul McCartney whose divorce proceedings saw his ranking fall from 2007.
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