Sweet f irm boss killed by tree as he pruned his garden
A DIRECTOR at one of Scotland’s most iconic confectionery firms has died in a gardening accident at his home.
Klaus Perch-Nielsen – who was on the board of Lees Foods, maker of the famous coconutcovered Snowball and Macaroon bar – died after being struck by a tree last Thursday.
It is understood that Mr PerchNielsen, 80, was carrying out tree surgery when part of another tree struck him on the head.
The accident happened in the garden of his home at Berryfield House, Lentran, near Inverness, during last week’s strong winds.
Mr Perch-Nielsen became involved with the company, based
‘He still had much to offer’
in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, in 1993 as a non-executive director.
Yesterday, Lees chief executive Clive Miquel paid tribute to his colleague.
He said: ‘It has come as such a shock. I was only speaking to him about a couple of business matters that morning.
‘He was so fit and healthy, and still had much to offer the company. He was a regular attender at board meetings and had a huge enthusiasm for Lees.
‘Just last year he took great delight in showing his grandchildren round the factory.
‘And for his journey back up the road to Inverness in his trusty Range Rover, he would regularly buy our confectionery to eat on the way. His favourite was the Macaroon bar. He will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with [his wife] Lynda and the entire family.’
In 2012, a £5.6million management buyout of Lees Foods went ahead following a court hearing.
Mr Perch-Nielsen, along with Mr Miquel and directors David Simon, Nadia Miller and Albert Croll collectively owned nearly 48 per cent of the business at the time of the buyout.
However, the purchase was initially delayed after smaller shareholders raised concerns that the 230p-a-share deal undervalued the firm.
Before his involvement in Lees, from 1967 to 1986, Mr PerchNielsen was part-owner and director of Moray Firth Maltings in Inverness, before moving to Australia.
In 1999, Moray Firth Maltings merged with Bairds Malts to form Bairds Malt. He spent three years there and started up and ran two companies.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘Police attended the sudden death of a man at a property in the Lentran area on the afternoon of Thursday, March 15.
‘There are no suspicious circumstances and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.’
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: ‘We received a call at 14.20 hours on Thursday, March 15, to attend an incident in Lentran.
‘We dispatched two ambulances to the scene.’
Mr Perch-Nielsen is survived by his wife, Lynda, a son, two daughters and his grandchildren.
The Lees Macaroon bar was the original sweet made by the company, founded in 1931.
John J Lees created it when trying to produce a chocolate fondant bar above his father’s shop, when he experimented in covering the bar in coconut. Over the years the range has expanded to include tablet, mint, fudge and chocolate coated fudge.