Talk:Doug Perkins

COI request - bio updates

1. Add audiology

• What I think should be changed: In the second sentence of the intro, replace "an international optical retail chain" with "an international optical and audiology retail chain".
• Why it should be changed: Audiology has been a significant part of Specsavers' business since 2002.
• References supporting the possible change:

2. Note where Doug met his wife

• What I think should be changed: In the Early life section, modify the second sentence to read: “He was educated at the Llanelli Boys Grammar School, and he graduated from Cardiff University, where he met his wife Mary.”
• Why it should be changed: Biographically relevant and consistent with the Mary Perkins article, which already states the couple met at Cardiff. Note: the source uses 'Cardiff College of Advanced Technology', the 1965 name for what became Cardiff University.
• References supporting the possible change:

3. Career update

• What I think should be changed: In the Career section, immediately after the sentence ending “…subsequently opened 22 stores.”, insert a new sentence: “The couple sold the chain for £2 million in 1980 and moved to Guernsey, where Mary’s father had retired.”
• Why it should be changed: Fills the gap between Doug taking over the Bristol practice in the 1970s and the founding of Specsavers in 1984. The same facts are already in the Mary Perkins article.
• References supporting the possible change:

4. Sunday Times Rich List update

• What I think should be changed: In the Career section, replace “As of April 2016, they have an estimated wealth of £1.55 billion according to the Sunday Times Rich List.” with “In The Sunday Times Rich List 2026, Douglas and Dame Mary Perkins and family were ranked 117th in the list of Britain's Wealthiest People, with their personal worth estimated at £1.409 billion.”
• Why it should be changed: The 2026 edition of the same Sunday Times list supersedes the 2016 list.
• References supporting the possible change:

5. Sunday Times Tax List addition

• What I think should be changed: In the Career section, immediately after the Rich List sentence, insert a new sentence: “In The Sunday Times Tax List 2026, Douglas and Dame Mary Perkins were ranked tenth, having paid £121.7 million in taxes.”
• Why it should be changed: Biographically relevant and the list is already cited on Mary Perkins' page. The £121.7m figure is the joint Doug + Dame Mary entry, not an individual estimate.
• References supporting the possible change:

6. 2023 family-trust ownership note

• What I think should be changed: In the Personal life section, after the existing sentence about living in Guernsey and the three children, insert a new sentence: “In 2023, Doug and Dame Mary Perkins placed Specsavers into a family trust, stating that they did not want their children to sell the business to private equity.”
• Why it should be changed: Materially affects future ownership of the business he co-founded; independently reported by The Times in two separate pieces.
• References supporting the possible change:

7. New Awards and honours section

• What I think should be changed: Immediately after the “Personal life” section, insert a new Awards and honours section and the following sentence: “Perkins was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the King's Birthday Honours List in 2025, in recognition of his services to business and trade.”
• Why it should be changed: Parallels the existing DBE entry on the Mary Perkins article.
• References supporting the possible change:

8. Infobox amend

• What I think should be changed: In the infobox, change the honorific_suffix parameter to CBE (the lead sentence already carries “CBE”; the infobox does not yet).
• Why it should be changed: Consistency between the infobox, the lead and the new Awards and honours section above.
• References supporting the possible change: Same sources as item 6 above.

Crzyhorse3000 (talk) 11:59, 29 May 2026 (UTC)

References