Sol Zakay
Profile Verified by The Marque
Last Updated: 22 Sep 2026
Chairman & CEO
London, GB
Profile Verified by The Marque
Last Updated: 22 Sep 2026
THE MARQUE
In Their Own Right
Biography
Sol Zakay is a prominent British businessman and founder of Topland Group. A self-made billionaire, Sol has led Topland Group in forming high-profile joint ventures across sectors including retail, hospitality, healthcare and finance. With an estimated net worth of £3.7 billion (approx $5 billion USD), Sol ranks among the UK's most successful real estate entrepreneurs.
A pioneer of the sale-leaseback deal, Sol has completed SLB transactions worth over £4bn. In 2001 he secured a £348m leaseback agreement with Marks & Spencer, dubbed ‘the deal of the decade’. In 2004 Topland formed a JV with Tesco to purchase 33 stores for £650m, selling their 50% stake in Tesco for over £1bn in 2007.
Other deals include a JV with Eroski to buy 15 hypermarkets for £289m in Spain’s largest SLB transaction. In 2008 Topland partnered with Duet Group and SARE to buy 800 acres of land in India to develop into residential property worth £900m.
In 2011 Sol established Topland’s Structured Finance division. The business has become a leading provider of property finance, offering funding solutions to developers and investors across the UK and Europe and has amassed a multi-billion pound loan book that is ever-growing and spans across sectors.
Under Sol's leadership, Topland diversified into natural resources, and in 2011 formed a partnership with Barclays to co-invest in 9 BNRIs with a commitment of $660m across a number of sectors including renewables.
The acquisition of the Menzies Hotel Group, Hallmark Hotels & Feathers Hotels from 2013-2015 marked Topland’s expansion into hotels. After combining all 3 under the Hallmark Hotels brand, the group was sold to a group of overseas investors. The company still owns and operates the Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath and the Brighton Metropole. Its leased portfolio includes the Hilton Glasgow and 4 Thistle hotels in London.
Sol Zakay is known for his charitable activities and is a patron of Jewish Care.
The Record
Background
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1995 — Present
Chairman & CEO
Topland Group
Topland Group is one of the UK’s largest privately owned investment groups. Its multi-billion-pound portfolio spans real estate, development and structured finance. It is best known for investing in and developing property across sectors, including hotels, offices, residential and strategic land.
In The News
Newsfeed
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3 November 2025 · Green Street News
Topland agrees £17m senior loan for Oxford Street purchase
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23 October 2025 · Green Street News
Topland plots £260m development after Wimbledon acquisition
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6 October 2025 · NetVol
Sol Zakay: The Billionaire Visionary Behind the Topland Property Empire
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25 January 2024
Sol Zakay to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at 2024 PROPS
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1 June 2023
Forward funding secured for 1,200-bed PBSA
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25 May 2023 · CoStar Group
Blackstone's iQ to Forward Fund Topland Student Homes
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23 February 2023
Topland Group sponsors 35th annual lunch in support of Jewish Care
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18 July 2022 · Financial Times
Property developers bet on City of London’s appeal with new towers
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29 June 2022
Sport and talent agency moves into new West End headquarters via £21m acquisition facility
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Areas Of Focus