Who are Alf & Clare Ellis? Husband and wife named in Yorkshire richlist buy Michelin-starred Northcote
One of Lancashire’s most famous hotel and restaurant venues has been bought by a power couple from Yorkshire.
It was announced yesterday that Silkstone Finance, the investment arm of Alf and Clare Ellis, had bought Michelin-starred Northcote from The Stafford Collection - and that top chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen would be returning.
But who are the Ellis family and where does their money come from?
Alf, 77, and Clare, 71, run the successful Pontefract-based kitchen manufacturer Ultima. Ultima was born in Barnsley more than 40 years ago. Alf and Clare were in the process of building their own house and needed a kitchen. But after scouring the market for a good quality kitchen at a reasonable price with no success they decided to make their own.
Through word of mouth and personal recommendations they began to receive requests for kitchens of the same quality. This quickly developed into a business and in 1982 they opened a retail showroom in Barnsley town centre. This boomed after other local kitchen studios asked Ultima to start producing kitchens for them.
By 1985, Ultima moved to new premises on the outskirts of Barnsley, a 10,000sq ft facility in Wombwell with automated machinery. Their early clients included prestigious national housebuilders like Mclean Homes and Charles Church.
Investment in state-of-the-art machinery, showrooms and two purpose-built manufacturing facilities in Pontefract continued throughout the 1990s and 2000’s. They now have the most advanced automated cabinet assembly line in the UK, capable of producing 2,500 cabinets in a 37 hour week.
In 2003, Alf and Clare launched a new consumer-facing venture: DIY Kitchens, an online platform offering quality kitchens direct to the public. The brand quickly became a disruptor in the industry, celebrated for offering high-end products at unbeatable prices. DIY Kitchens received nationwide acclaim in 2018 when it won the Which? Best Value Kitchen award.
Ultima is not their only business. Alf is listed as a director of 10 businesses, including a bedroom and bathroom company, as well as Cheshire-based sports club Spirit of 1873 Ltd and Innova Hotels Ltd. Claire is listed as secretary or director of nine businesses.
In 2023, the couple were named in a list of 50 of Yorkshire’s richest people, when their net worth was said to be £160m.
Their entrepreneurial ethos is reflected in the next generation, too. Their son, Matt Ellis, acquired Wakefield Trinity Rugby League Club in October 2023, with a bold plan to restore it to Super League status and rejuvenate the community through sport.
Alf and Clare’s journey with Northcote began when they first experienced the property as guests of the annual renowned culinary festival, Obsession, over 10 years ago. Since then they have been loyal patrons of Northcote.
They have promised to bring the same passion, innovation, and dedication to hospitality as they have to manufacturing, and want to invest in the property, inroducing “new levels of luxury and design while staying true to Northcote’s soul and values.”