Fisherman’s Fortune
Generosity of lozenge tycoon who left £41m
SHE became Britain’s 17th richest woman after the global success of her family firm’s pungent lozenges.
Now following the death of Fisherman’s Friend tycoon Doreen Lofthouse at the age of 91, it has been revealed that her wealth will benefit the former fishing port where the cough sweets are still made.
Out of £41.4million left in her will, the shop girl-turned-entrepreneur has left £325,000 to be shared between the gardeners, secretaries and housekeepers at her mansion.
The pick of her jewellery goes to her daughter-in-law, Linda.
And the rest of her wealth is left for The Lofthouse Foundation, which has provided millions of pounds to fund charity work in her hometown of Fleetwood.
Her generosity is befitting of a figure revered in the Lancashire port as Mother Fleetwood.
Fisherman’s Friend were developed in 1865 by James Lofthouse, a local pharmacist who wanted to help seamen suffering from croaky throats.
The original lozenges were menthol and eucalyptus flavour and for a century, they remained a local favourite. But all that changed when the former pharmacy clerk married into the Lofthouse family in 1960.
Alongside first husband Alan Lofthouse – the founder’s greatgrandson with whom she had a son, Duncan – and second husband Tony Lofthouse, nephew of her first, she transformed Fisherman’s Friend into a global brand. Starting by dispatching boxes by van across the North West, Mrs Lofthouse’s entrepreneurial spirit paid off when she convinced Boots to start stocking her product.
Eventually they would be sold in more than 100 countries, earning Mrs Lofthouse and her second husband a fortune put at £125million in 2003. She has donated millions of pounds to charity over the years and was awarded an OBE in 2008.
Mrs Lofthouse died in March, four years after her husband passed away, sparking a rush of tributes. ‘She was a woman who deeply cared about the town and I thank her for everything she has done,’ said David Henderson, leader of Wyre Council.
Cat Smith, the Labour MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, said: ‘It’s so fitting that she left a generous legacy in line with how she lived her life, supporting our town, its people, its heritage and its future.’