Sir Ken Morrison, the founder of supermarket chain Morrisons, who was instrumental in growing the company into one of Britain’s leading retailers, has died at the age of 85.

The Press Association cited a short statement from Sir Ken’s family, according to which he passed away at his home in North Yorkshire, following a short illness.

In the statement his family described him as a “unique figure in the history of grocery retailing in the UK” and said that for more than half a century he had been “the driving force at the heart of Morrisons”.

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In a separate statement, Morrisons said that Sir Ken was “an inspirational retailer” who transformed the company from a small, family-run business to a major player in the industry. At Sir Ken’s retirement in 2008, Morrisons had 375 stores and was serving over nine million customers, Morrisons said.

Sir Ken was awarded a CBE in 1990 and was knighted in the Millennium New Year’s honours list for his services to the food retailing industry.

“Ken will be remembered by us all for his leadership, his passion for retailing and for his great love of Morrisons,” said Andrew Higginson, the current chairman of Morrisons.