Jamie Oliver scoops a £6.8million payout as profits rebound in his business empire after his Italian restaurant chain folded in 2019 with the loss of 1,000 jobs
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and his wife Jools have scooped a £6.8million payout as profits rebound at his business empire.
The 48-year old, who became famous as the ‘naked chef’, enjoyed a boost thanks to his restaurants abroad recovering from the pandemic and success on television in 2022.
The payout was made up of a £5million dividend from Jamie Oliver Holdings, which owns the television firm behind the School Dinners series and a £1million dividend from Jamie Oliver Licensing, which owns his cooking products and restaurant brands.
It marked a pay increase for Oliver and his wife, after they cashed in a £5.6million payout a year before.
Sales for the group increased by 8.1pc to £29.7million while profits grew 17.5pc to £7.7million, thanks to a flurry of cookbook sales and diners returning after Covid.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver (pictured) and his wife Jools have scooped a £6.8million payout as profits rebound at his business empire
The payout was made up of a £5million dividend from Jamie Oliver Holdings, which owns the television firm behind the School Dinners series and a £1million dividend from Jamie Oliver Licensing, which owns his cooking products and restaurant brands. It marked a pay increase for Oliver and his wife, after they cashed in a £5.6million payout a year before. Pictured: Jamie Oliver and his wife Jools in March 2016
The chef also reaped the rewards of offering consumers ways to save them money on their grocery bills amid the cost of living crisis, with 1.4million viewers for a Jamie’s £1 Wonders series.
When Oliver’s Italian restaurant chain folded in 2019, resulting in the loss of 1,000 jobs, the celebrity chef lamented it as ‘the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do’. He had pumped £25million into trying to save the Italian chain in 2019.
The demise of the business meant the closure of 25 UK sites, including the Jamie’s Italian chain, a couple of other restaurants in London and a Diner venue at Gatwick airport. Its only UK venue open currently is a deli in Aberdeen, run by a franchisee.
But Oliver is getting ready to make a return to the UK dining scene and will open a new restaurant in Covent Garden this autumn.
The chief executive of Oliver’s business, Kevin Styles, said that the Jamie Oliver brand ‘continues to resonate with audiences around the world’ and 2022 showed there were ‘the foundations in place from which to continue to evolve our business.’
Jamie Oliver (pictured) has five children and renewed his wedding vows with former model and current childrenswear designer Jools earlier this year after 23 years of marriage. Last year Oliver and his wife also received rental income from the group of £60,000, which was the same as the year before
Oliver shot to fame aged just 23 when he made his debut on UK television in 1999 with his cooking show The Naked Chef.
The show focused on simple recipes with affordable ingredients and encouraged many men to start cooking. It was the beginning of his television empire and kicked off a series of cookbooks.
Last year Oliver sold 2million books based on his Channel 4 series Jamie’s One-Pan Wonders, which teaches viewers how to ‘make deliciously easy, gnarly meals’ using just one pot.
Oliver has five children and renewed his wedding vows with former model and current childrenswear designer Jools earlier this year after 23 years of marriage.
Last year Oliver and his wife also received rental income from the group of £60,000, which was the same as the year before.
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