S ir Philip Green is a controversial British businessman who was once hailed as the 'King of the High Street' for his dominance in the UK retail sector. He began his career importing and selling jeans before starting his own ventures. His rise to prominence began in the 1990s and accelerated in 2000 when he acquired the struggling department store British Home Stores (BHS) for £200 million. He quickly turned the company's fortunes around. Two years later, he acquired Arcadia Group, which owned a portfolio of popular high-street fashion brands including Topshop, Topman, Dorothy Perkins, and Miss Selfridge.

At the height of his success, Green was a celebrated figure, known for his lavish lifestyle and aggressive business tactics. However, his reputation suffered immensely in the 2010s. The collapse of BHS in 2016, just a year after he sold it for a nominal £1, triggered a massive scandal over the company's huge pension deficit, which affected thousands of former employees. Amid public and political pressure, Green eventually paid £363 million to help shore up the pension fund. His Arcadia Group also struggled with the shift to online shopping and changing consumer habits, ultimately falling into administration in 2020. These events led to widespread criticism and calls for him to be stripped of his knighthood.