Lord Sainsbury Of Preston Candover, A Former Supermarket Boss, Has Died At The Age Of 94

Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover, the former chairman and chief executive of supermarket chain Sainsbury's, has died at the age of 94, according to the firm.

During his 40-year tenure with the company, he had a variety of positions, rising through the ranks to become a director in 1958 before being promoted to CEO in 1969.

In 1992, Lord Sainsbury left the corporation and became its life president.

Simon Roberts, the current CEO of Sainsbury's, called him "one of the great retailers of his time."

He was "a shopkeeper to his core" and "was ambitious for the company and led Sainsbury's through an extraordinary time of expansion; he was a truly inspirational man," according to the statement.

After national service and university, John Davan Sainsbury began working in his family's business in 1950, initially in the grocery department.

Sainsbury's grew from a regional, middle-sized grocery chain to a national household name during his time there.

According to The Sainsbury's Archive, Lord Sainsbury became biscuit buyer in 1951 and bacon buyer in 1956.

According to the archive, a trip to Canada led him to create and test a new technique of making bacon for the emerging self-service market, which he devised and tested at the Haverhill abattoir.

According to the report, he was also intimately involved in the development of Sainsbury's own product line, personally approving every packaging design.