Sir Tom Hunter, Scotland’s richest man, was keeping his counsel yesterday.

The entrepreneur may have been wrongfooted by Tesco’s surprise acquisition of Dobbies Garden Centres but in true fashion he was showing no signs of being spooked.

Gradual stake-building in Dobbies over the past year, combined with a spate of recent acquisitions in the sector, has stoked speculation that Sir Tom is mulling an offer for the retailer.

Although no offer has been forthcoming from the Ayreshire-based businessman and prominent philanthropist, Tesco’s recommended acquisition of Dobbies will value his 10.6 per cent holding at nearly £16 million.

Sir Tom, 45, who has built up his £1.05 billion fortune on the back of a series of canny investments, started out his career selling training shoes from the back of a van.

His first major break came when he sold his Sports Division retail chain to JJB Sports for £290 million, and he has since gone on to buy up companies including Wyevale Garden Centres for £311million, and the retirement homes specialist McCarthy & Stone for £1.1 billion.

Sir Tom’s most recent coup came in March this year when he won the bidding for Crest Nicholson, the housebuilder, with a £715 million offer.

It provided some solace for the tycoon, who lost out to Barratt Developments a month earlier in the £2.1 billion race for Wilson Bowden.

Sir Tom, who gives away vast amounts of his wealth and has set up a £55 million charitable venture with Bill Clinton, the former US President, puts his success down to “incredible luck and good fortune in meeting the right people”.

He has also spent £3 million in Scotland helping young people who are not in education or employment. (Neelam Verjee)

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