Probate documents have revealed that Bernard Lewis, the founder of River Island, left an estate valued at £40 million after his death earlier this year at the age of 100.
Mr Lewis passed away on February 28 and was hailed as a pivotal figure in Britain's fashion retail sector. He left behind his wife Vanessa, sons Leonard, Clive, Sam, and Jake, and daughter Caroline.
Estate details
Documents show his estate was valued at £40,399,022, with a net value of £37,047,55. According to the records, Mr Lewis bequeathed his portion of the family home and all personal belongings to his wife.
The paperwork also contains a statement addressing certain children: "I wish my children Leonard Richard Lewis ('Leonard'), Clive and Caroline Jane Grainge ('Caroline') to know that the reason I have not left them a greater part of my estate is not from any want of affection by me for them but purely because I have otherwise provided for them during my lifetime".
Career and legacy
Born in London in 1926, Lewis launched a greengrocer in 1946. He subsequently took a bold gamble by establishing a womenswear outlet in Hackney, with additional branches following suit before rebranding as Chelsea Girl.
Men's fashion arrived in the 1980s and the enterprise transformed once more into River Island, launching as a fresh unisex retail concept. Its inaugural international stores opened in 1993 and it became one of the pioneering brands to embrace online sales.
By 2004, River Island was turning over £540m across 220 outlets and had scooped Multiple of the Year at Drapers Awards. Twelve months on, Lewis received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tributes
A River Island representative told Drapers in March: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bernard Lewis, one of the great pioneers of British retail, at the age of 100. Bernard's life was defined by hard work, innovation and an unwavering commitment to the business he built from the ground up."
"Our thoughts are with his family and those who worked with him over many decades."
River Island boss Ben Lewis, Bernard Lewis's nephew, assumed the top job in February 2025, having previously occupied the role for a decade before standing down in 2019.
