Bob Muir, cash and carry pioneer, passes away

Bob Muir, former chief executive of Booker and one of greats of the grocery trade, passed away last Friday, 5 March, at his home in Windsor, after a long battle with cancer. He was 82.

Bob Muir was a charismatic figure in the grocery industry who transformed the fortunes of Booker Cash and Carry in the early 1980s. He was one of the first leaders in the grocery sector to recognise the growing influence of Asian retailers and was an early supporter of Asian Trader magazine.

Along with Mars Confectionery, Bob Muir and Booker were instrumental in helping to launch the Asian Trader Awards in 1989 to help promote excellence in the sector.

Born in Plymouth in 1939 and educated at Chichester High School for Boys, Bob Muir’s career spanned the full breadth of grocery retail sector. He started out following National Service working at Littlewoods and went on to become a management trainee for Tesco.

He subsequently joined Fine Fare and made his first move into wholesale when he became southern regional director for Alliance Cash & Carry. After that Bob joined Budgett’s Cash & Carry, before being headhunted by (then) BAT-owned International Stores, which subsequently made him Managing Director of their new Mainstop superstores division, which grew to about 20 sites.

In 1983 Barry Skipper asked Bob to revive the ailing Booker Cash & Carry chain, which he did. Then, alongside Tony Noble, he engineered the integration of Booker with rival Linfood Cash and Carry, which was completed in 1988.

In 1992 Adrian Busby arrived to take over Booker’s UK operations and Bob then concentrated on the overseas business, continuing until his retirement, as CEO, in late 1998.

He was a great friend and colleague of Asian Media Group founder Ramniklal Solanki, whose sons, Kalpesh and Shailesh Solanki, said Bob was “a huge figure in the grocery industry who was strong advocate and friend of the Asian retail community. Bob helped our father establish the Asian Trader Awards which have grown to be one of the leading events in the industry calendar.

“It was Bob’s foresight to help celebrate the success of Asian retailers in those early days and to also help bring about better understanding of the sector. We send our sincere condolences to his wife Doreen and their family.”

Under the direction of keen Europhile Muir, Booker established cash and carry warehouses in several countries including Spain (where he loved to vacation on the Costa del Sol near Marbella) and Portugal. In 2009, appropriately given his long-time support of the UK’s South Asians, Booker’s first cash and carry opened in Mumbai. “Bob was a great mentor to so many of us over the years at Booker,” said Zunaid Bangee, MD of Booker India.

Former Booker CEO Charles Wilson paid fulsome tribute to the man he said was “larger than life” in many ways, adding that “He supported many ‘Asian traders’ as they started in business. If people had a problem he was keen to lend a hand.”

Bob was a keen cricket and rugby fan and he also enjoyed fishing in Scotland. He was a big man (literally) but also possessed humour and humility. “Soon after I was appointed Operations Director of International, doing my initial branch visits,” he once recalled, “I went into the International in Torquay and tore the place to pieces for bad standards, only to find as I walked out that I was not in International, I was in one of its competitors!”

Bob’s passing is a great loss to the industry and particularly to Asian Trader. He will be sorely missed, and our deepest sympathies go to his wife, Doreen and his family.

Charles Wilson (former CEO of Booker Group) pays tribute to Bob Muir:

Bob Muir was larger than life in three ways.

First, his presence. Bob was tall, had brilliant white hair, a keen smile and was full of energy. He could stride from one end of a cash and carry to the other in a few seconds. His happy, booming, voice could raise the spirits of a team. He had done National Service after leaving school and had the spirit of a hearty admiral.

Second, his impact. Bob joined Booker Cash and Carry in 1983 after a successful career in retail. He knocked the business into shape, completed the acquisition of Linfood and launched the Family Shopper own label. He led Booker to become the largest cash-and-carry operator in the UK and then in 1992 he took the business overseas. He had a profound impact on thousands of Booker Cash and Carry colleagues and customers. When he retired in 1998 he was sorely missed by Booker and the trade.

Third was his big heart. Bob had a deep respect for all colleagues and customers. He supported many ‘Asian traders’ as they started in business. If people had a problem he was keen to lend a hand.

I did not have the privilege of working with Bob, but I walked cash and carries with him and I knew I was in the presence of a master. His passing will be terrible for his wife Doreen and family. Booker is profoundly grateful for the contribution Bob made and extend our sincere condolences to his family.

A tribute from Dave Boner, who went from Assistant Manager at Linfood to Regional Director of S.E Asia:

Working alongside Bob was simply a privilege. He will always be referenced for his sheer size but there was so much more to his stature. He had vision, direction, endeavour, capacity and compassion in equal volume. Like any leader he was demanding and did not suffer fools but he had a style such that all you needed was, the knowing tilt of the head, raise of an eyebrow or cheeky smile and wink to pull back or push on.

He was an attentive listener and considered in his responses and feedback. Bob was the epitome of engagement. When walking a cash and carry it could take far longer than scheduled as Bob would be chatting with staff and customers for an eternity. In a formal setting he was the same and there was more than one occasion when I wondered if Bob enjoyed cold food as he ate in-between conversations!

Bob’s vision for the Cash & Carry sector was legendary. From the integration of Linfood with Booker (and it truly was a balanced integration) to International expansion and involvement with people such as Ram Solanki (without whom this article may not have been published today).

My relationship with Bob was at its closest throughout the period of international expansion. It was in this environment that I was truly inspired by a real cultural awareness and sensitivity. From Western Europe to Eastern Europe and South Asia to South East Asia Bob was, for want of a better phrase and in addition to all the attributes previously mentioned, “the relationship glue-stick”.

Bob touched the lives of so many people and their families and it is on this note that I offer my Sincere condolences to, Doreen, Deborah and the entire Muir family. Bob will be sorely missed but so fondly remembered by many. Go with grace Bob and rest in peace.