W Galen Weston, the patriarch of one of the world’s leading retail dynasties that owns Heal’s, Selfridges and Primark, has died at age 80.
Weston passed away peacefully at home after a long illness, the family said in a statement.
Weston was the third generation of his family to lead George Weston, a global retail empire founded by his grandfather, which he expanded significantly.
The family company, now run by his son Galen Weston, owns UK-based Wittington Investments, which owns Fortnum & Mason, Heal’s and Selfridges Group. Selfridges Group consists of the eponymous department store in the UK, Brown Thomas and Arnotts in Ireland, Holt Renfrew in Canada and de Bijenkorf in the Netherlands.
Wittington Investments also has a majority stake in Primark parent company AB Foods.
Weston’s daughter Alannah Weston is the chair of the Selfridges Group, while his niece Kate Hobhouse is chairwoman of Fortnum & Mason and nephew George Weston is chief executive of AB Foods.
