Morrisons’ founder Sir Ken Morrison CBE has passed away aged 85 following a short illness.
Morrison, who was life president and former chairman at Morrisons, led the company for more than half a century, transforming it from a small family business into the UK’s fourth-largest retailer.
At his retirement in 2008, Morrisons had 375 stores, serving over nine million customers a week. Morrison received the CBE in 1990 and was knighted in 2000 for his services to food retail.
His legacy at Morrisons include the Market Street innovation and the company’s vertical integration model, and he was known across the industry for his forthright views.
A Morrisons statement said: “Sir Ken will be greatly missed by many thousands of his current and former colleagues, a large number of whom became close personal friends over the years.”
Morrisons chairman Andrew Higginson said: 'I know that I speak for the whole company when I say how profoundly sad we were to hear of Sir Ken's death. He was an inspirational leader and the driving force behind Morrisons for over half a century. Although he retired several years ago, his legacy is evident every day and in every aspect of our business.
'Ken will be remembered by us all for his leadership, his passion for retailing and for his great love of Morrisons. We will miss his friendship and his wise counsel very deeply, and our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.'
