Toilet roll tycoon Alan Murphy has come back to his home city with plans for a £100m development between the Baltic Triangle and Liverpool's waterfront.
Monaco-based Mr Murphy sold off his paper firm 20 years ago and has now become one of the North West's biggest property investors.
Now his development company Nikal has teamed up with the Addy Consultancy to buy a site in Kings Dock Street , off Wapping and near the entrance to the old Wapping Tunnel .
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Mr Murphy says the site will be turned into a "£100m mixed-use leisure development", with more details due to be revealed in coming weeks.
And he hopes this will be the first of many Nikal investments in his home city.
Mr Murphy said: "I've waited many years for the opportunity to deliver a development in my home city and now is the perfect time, both for us as a business but also in light of the regeneration underway at King’s Dock and along Liverpool’s waterfront as a whole.
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"I’m immensely proud of being born and raised in Liverpool; I love the city, its culture and its people.
"I’m looking forward to helping contribute to its worldwide appeal with well designed mixed-use developments that will encourage tourism, generate jobs and create inspiring spaces for people to live and thrive."
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Bootle-born Mr Murphy started his career at Pergamon Press before he decided to start his own business, he launched, grew and sold a chain of hair salons and the Champion Discount supermarket chain.
In 1983 he founded AM Paper Converters in Skelmersdale to focus on turning recycled tissue into toilet paper.
AM became a massive producer of own-brand products for supermarkets and grew to employ more than 600 people.
Mr Murphy - father of Hollyoaks actor Davinia Taylor - sold the business off in two parts in 1997 and 1999, making him more than £150m.
In 2003 he and Nick Payne founded Nikal, the property company named after them. It has worked on projects across the UK including Soapworks in Salford Quays, and it's currently working on the £300m Blackpool Central regeneration scheme.
The Liverpool site - currently home to Sixt car hire - was introduced to Nikal by Bill Addy, founder of The Addy Consultancy. It's likely to include homes and leisure attractions.
Mr Murphy said: "I’m delighted to be doing this in partnership with Bill and his team."
Mr Addy, who is separately chief executive of Liverpool BID Company , said: “I’ve known Alan and Nick (Payne, Nikal Co-Founder) for a long time and have a huge admiration for their approach to high quality, considered regeneration and placemaking.
"I’m really pleased that we now have a site that will bring our two businesses together and marry our mutual passion and vision, it will be a fantastic addition to the King’s Dock offering.
"We are keen to get going on what will hopefully be the first of many.”
