Former Morrisons chairman Sir Ken Morrison dies aged 85

Sir Ken Morrison, the former chairman of British supermarket Morrisons, died on Wednesday (1 February) aged 85.

Morrison played a pivotal role in developing the retail chain that carried his father's name into one of the UK's largest retailers.

The Bradford-born businessman joined the family business in 1956 and was the longest-serving chairman of a top 100 public company in the UK when he announced his decision to leave the company in 2006.

Morrison eventually left the retailer in 2008, when he took the honorary post of life president and was succeeded as chief executive by Marc Bolland, who then moved to Marks & Spencer two years later.

In a statement, his family said the former Morrisons chairman had died peacefully at home in North Yorkshire.

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