Supermarket boss Sir Ken Morrison dies

Sir Ken Morrison has died aged 85 following a short illness, his family has said.

Sir Ken helped grow supermarket Morrisons from a small grocery chain into one of the UK's largest retailers, until he retired in 2008.

He died peacefully at home in North Yorkshire, his family said in a statement.

"Sir Ken was, of course, a unique figure in the history of grocery retailing in the UK," the family said.

For more than half a century Sir Ken was "the driving force at the heart of Morrisons as it grew from two market stalls," they said.

"But to us he was a greatly committed and loving family man, as inspirational and central to us in our daily lives as he was in the business. His drive and ambition, quick intelligence and encyclopaedic knowledge were matched with a real curiosity in his fellow man."

"He had a gentle humour and kindness about him and he could, and would, talk with genuine interest to anyone," they added.

Supermarket chain Morrisons said: "Sir Ken was an inspirational retailer who led Morrisons for more than half a century... [he] 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 added that Sir Ken was "widely considered one of Britain's finest retailers" and that he had "developed the culture, values and clear direction for the business which remain the bedrock of the firm today."

Andrew Higginson, the current chairman of Morrisons, said: "Taking Morrisons from a small Bradford-based family business to a major UK grocery retailing chain is an outstanding achieve- ment in the history of UK business."

Sir Ken was well known for being forthright in his views, once telling shareholders in strong language that he disliked the former chief executive Dalton Philips' turnaround plan.

He said: "The results were described by the chairman and chief executive as 'disappointing'. I personally thought they were disastrous."

Sir Ken, who was one of Yorkshire's richest men, started out at the age of nine helping his father on his Bradford market stall. He joined Morrisons when he finished National Service in 1952.

Four years later became chairman and managing director, although he relinquished the latter role in 1997.

Under his leadership Morrisons opened its first town-centre shop in 1958 and first supermarket in 1961, both in Bradford.