Supermarket supremo Sir Ken Morrison has died aged 85

LONDON - Former Morrisons Chief Sir Ken Morrison has died aged 85 following a short illness.

Morrison took over his family's small Bradford-based business in the 1960s, and led it for more than 50 years as it became a national supermarket chain.

He stood down in 2008, at which point the chain had 375 branches and served more than 9 million customers a week.

Morrisons Chairman Andrew Higginson said: "I know that I speak for the whole company when I say how profoundly sad we were to hear of Sir Ken's death."

"He was an inspirational leader and the driving force behind Morrisons for over half a century. Although he retired several years ago, his legacy is evident every day and in every aspect of our business," Higginson said.

"Taking Morrisons from a small Bradford-based family business to a major UK grocery retailing chain is an outstanding achievement in the history of UK business."