Galen Weston Wiki, Age, Wife, Net Worth, Cause of Death, Illness, Family, Children, Parents, Obituary

Galen Weston Biography – Galen Weston Wiki

Galen Weston Sr. (born Willard Gordon Galen Weston) was a British-Canadian billionaire businessman and Chairman Emeritus of George Weston Limited, a Canadian food processing and distribution company.

He was born on Oct. 29, 1940, in Buckinghamshire, England, to a prominent family. In 1962, Weston graduated from the University of Western Ontario and moved to Ireland where he met Hilary Frayne, a fashion model from Dun Laoghaire. They married in 1966.

With financial help from his grandmother, he bought a grocery store, building it into the Power Supermarkets chain, and then began acquiring clothing stores. He also reportedly gave luxury retailer Brown Thomas to his wife as a present, just as his father had bought Fortnum & Mason for his mother during their marriage.

Hilary was put in charge of revamping the Brown Thomas fashion department, as well as that of Todd Burns, an Irish department store chain that later became Primark. At his father’s request, Weston returned to Canada in the early 1970s, taking the helm of Loblaw, which he is credited with saving from near-bankruptcy and subsequently turning into the country’s largest grocer.

In 2003 Weston bought the Selfridges Group, which owns upscale retailers, Selfridges in the U.K., Holt Renfrew in Canada, Ireland’s Brown Thomas and de Bijenkorf in the Netherlands.

He retired as chairman of George Weston Limited in 2016 to make room for his son Galen G. Weston, a tradition set by his father, W. Garfield Weston, who also stepped down at the age of 75. His son Galen G Weston became executive chairman of Loblaw in 2006, and chief executive of George Weston Ltd in 2017. Weston retained the title of chairman emeritus of both George Weston Ltd. and Loblaws.

After his retirement, Weston remained a part of his family’s philanthropic endeavours including the Weston Family Foundation and the Weston Brain Institute. In 2014, the family donated $50 million to start the Weston Brain Institute, a research facility aimed at finding treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS. In July 2016, it donated another $50 million to the centre.

The Weston empire was founded by his grandfather George Weston, who laid the groundwork in 1882 for a retail empire that owns or controls the grocery chain Loblaws and the food conglomerate Weston, but also the fast fashion chain Primark and the department stores Holt Renfrew in Canada, Brown Thomas in Ireland, and Selfridge’s in the United Kingdom.

The family has also taken a special interest in the arts, making donations to the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Ontario Science Centre, the Canadian Canoe Museum, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, the Banff Centre and the Mendel Art Gallery.

Galen Weston Age

Willard Gordon Galen Weston was born on 29 October 1940, in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom. He died on 12 April 2021. He was 80.

Galen Weston Wife

Was Galen Weston Married? He was married to Hilary Frayne for 55 years. He married the former Irish model Hilary Frayne in 1966 who served as lieutenant-governor of Ontario, the Queen’s representative in the province, from 1997 to 2002.

Galen Weston Family

He was born to Reta Lila Howard and W. Garfield Weston. He was born in Buckinghamshire, England, on October 29th, 1940, the youngest of nine children in a prominent family. His father, Willard Garfield Weston, had helped expand the family’s bakery company into a multinational food empire, and served as a member of the British Parliament during the Second World War. His brother, Garry H Weston, who died in 2002, was one of the richest people in Britain, and chairman of Associated British Foods Plc.

Galen Weston Children

Galen Weston had two children: Alannah Weston, chair of the Selfridges Group, and Galen Weston Jr., who is CEO of both Loblaws and the George Weston Company Ltd.

Galen Weston Death

Galen Weston died on 12 April 2021 following a long illness at his Toronto home at the age of 80, his family announced. The family said in a statement released by Brown Thomas and Arnotts: “With sorrow, Alannah Weston(Cochrane) and Galen G. Weston announce the passing of W. Galen Weston, on April 12th, 2021, at the age of 80, peacefully at home after a long illness faced with courage and dignity.

“A dutiful son, a beloved husband, a proud father, a devoted grandfather, a loving brother, W. Galen Weston dedicated his life to the service of his family, his businesses, and his community.

“His leadership and entrepreneurial spirit built food, retail, and real estate companies across two continents.

“These include Loblaw and Choice Properties in Canada and Selfridges Group, which includes Selfridges in the UK, Brown Thomas and Arnotts in Ireland.”

Galen Weston Cause of Death

Galen Weston’s cause of death was not revealed.

Galen Weston Net Worth

Galen Weston’s net worth is estimated to be US$10.2 Billion.