MARTIN LEWIS
MARTIN LEWIS is about to become a grandfather. Or an uncle. He can’t be sure which. But that’s families for you. Virtual ones anyway. What he does know for sure is his relationship with the financial powerhouse he gave life to in 2003 is about to change — again.
Three years after he sold his online MoneySavingExpert business for more millions than he’d ever dream of spending on himself, he is leaving the editor’s chair he retained as part of the deal and taking yet another role.
This time it’s as the rather grander sounding non-executive chairman, a job he hopes will occupy him around eight days a month and allow him to play a wee bit more golf and oversee everything from a distance. But there’s a long way to go before that happens.
We’re sitting in a glass box in the West End office block he shares with his new owners, the moneysupermarket.com group. Outside, a staff of almost 100 are busy updating what has become possibly the most dependable resource anywhere for anyone interested in spending sensibly.
He’s smartly dressed in Massimo Dutti jacket and blue slacks. And he’s sitting across two seats, feet up on one of them. I see he’s wearing trainers (problems with his arches — these are more comfy) and not the designer kind. It’s trite to ask but I can’t resist it.
So, how much did that jacket cost?
“Ninety pounds. Half price in a sale,” he says. And that’s fine for Lewis. If you know what he’s about, you’ll know it’s not scrimping, it’s about value. Spend, but spend well. And sensibly.
“I don’t have designer clothes. I buy off-the-peg and I generally buy in the sales. I just don’t get the label thing. I can’t see the point of a £1,000 suit. And I hate paying more than £50 for shoes. My wife generally feels the same but shoes are the one thing we disagree on.
“In fact, we would go somewhere where there were paps and the the papers would say this one was wearing Gucci, this one Armani and Lara [Lewington, his TV presenter wife of seven years] was wearing Primark. But we don’t mind. Neither of us has expensive tastes.
“It’s different with technology. I’d buy an expensive TV, something that was worth it. But I’d spend because something was good, not because something says it’s good.
“The Telegraph said I still shop in Poundland but why wouldn’t I? And then the Mail reported that I was seen in a queue for easyJet — and asked why wasn’t I on a private jet? You can’t win.”
To be fair, he’s used to it. Everyone he meets wants a tip. Casual acquaintances, people in the street, the film crews he works with.
“Everyone tells me I’m doing something wrong. They say, if it was