Bob Johnson (butcher)
Encyclopedia
Robert Alan Johnson was an English businessman in the meat industry. He was chairman of Farepak.
, the youngest child and only son of Bert Johnson and his wife Lily (née Good). His father worked as a clerk a meat depot. He and his mother were evacuated
to Torbay
during the Blitz
. His father stayed in London
to work, and his parents later separated and were divorced in 1948.
Johnson was educated in Devon
. He converted to Roman Catholicism aged 12, and studied at a Catholic boarding school
, St Mary's, at Clyst St Mary
in Devon.
He married his Italian wife, Bruna Gilodi, in 1971. They had two children, Nicholas and Chiara.
, owned by John Manson Ltd. Together with William Knapman and another parter, his father was co-owner of Manson, a chain of around 60 butcher's shops based in and around south London. Despite being the son of one of the company's owners, he was shown no favouritism, and left after 3 years to study theology and philosophy with the White Fathers
in Ireland
with thoughts of becoming a missionary
. After 2 years in Ireland, he became a novice
in England and then spent a year in France, but he left the Order aged 26 before taking vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
He returned to John Manson Ltd in 1966, becoming a trainee meat buyer at Smithfield Market, and then becoming the manager of the company's butcher's shop on the King's Road
. Shortly afterwards, Johnson took charge of the company's new acquisition, the Farepak hamper
business, which operated through local agents offering hampers through a Christmas saving club. The company was able to secure an increasing market share due to the decline of the high street butchers that offers a similar service. The butchers were facing stiff competition for their regular trade from the expanding supermarket
s, but the supermarkets did not enter the hamper business. The Farepak operations moved to Swindon
in 1979.
Johnson became managing director of Mansons in 1980. He wanted the company to move away from high street butchery and to concentrate on selling mail order
hampers, but his father and the other directors did not agree. The dispute was resolved in 1984 by Farepak demerging
from Mansons. Johnson left with the demerged Farepak and grew the business rapidly, but the rump of Manson's butcher's business stagnated under Knapman's control.
Farepak expanded its mail-order hamper business to include frozen food, drinks, Christmas gifts, and shopping vouchers. The company became a plc
in 1989, and was listed on the London Stock Exchange
in 1993, with an annual turnover exceeding £30 million. Farepak acquired Kleeneze
in 1995, adding door-to-door sales of household cleaning products to the mail-order hamper business. Farepak was renamed as Kleeneze plc in 1999. By 2001, the group had an annual turnover of over £200 million with a market capitalisation exceeding £85 million. Johnson and his family continued to hold over half of its shares.
, Ghana
and Indonesia
by orthopaedic surgeon Hein Raat, and became a funder and trustee of the Impact Foundation which operates hospitals in Africa
, India
and Bangladesh
. He also funded a Chair of European Thought at Oxford University in 1997, and donated money to the Refugee Studies Centre in Oxford which studies forced migration
. He was also a member of the Worshipful Company of Butchers
, and a freeman
of the City of London
.
He became a director of (and investor in) Prospect magazine, sponsored Garsington Opera
, collected works of art, and advised the Ashmolean Museum
and Bodleian Library
.
He died of a heart attack in 2001, while on holiday at Olbia
in Sardinia
. He was survived by his wife and two children.
Early and private life
Johnson was born in St Giles's Hospital in CamberwellCamberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
, the youngest child and only son of Bert Johnson and his wife Lily (née Good). His father worked as a clerk a meat depot. He and his mother were evacuated
Emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
to Torbay
Torbay
Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Part of the ceremonial county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998...
during the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
. His father stayed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to work, and his parents later separated and were divorced in 1948.
Johnson was educated in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. He converted to Roman Catholicism aged 12, and studied at a Catholic boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, St Mary's, at Clyst St Mary
Clyst St Mary
Clyst St Mary is a small village and civil parish east of Exeter on the main roads to Exmouth and Sidmouth in East Devon. The name comes from the Celtic word clyst meaning 'clear stream'.-Description:...
in Devon.
He married his Italian wife, Bruna Gilodi, in 1971. They had two children, Nicholas and Chiara.
Business career
He left school aged 18 with no formal qualifications, and went to work in Rooksby's butcher's shops in PeckhamPeckham
Peckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
, owned by John Manson Ltd. Together with William Knapman and another parter, his father was co-owner of Manson, a chain of around 60 butcher's shops based in and around south London. Despite being the son of one of the company's owners, he was shown no favouritism, and left after 3 years to study theology and philosophy with the White Fathers
White Fathers
The missionary society known as "White Fathers" , after their dress, is a Roman Catholic Society of Apostolic Life founded in 1868 by the first Archbishop of Algiers, later Cardinal Lavigerie, as the Missionaries of Our Lady of Africa of Algeria, and is also now known as the Society of the...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
with thoughts of becoming a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
. After 2 years in Ireland, he became a novice
Novice
A novice is a person or creature who is new to a field or activity. The term is most commonly applied in religion and sports.-Buddhism:In many Buddhist orders, a man or woman who intends to take ordination must first become a novice, adopting part of the monastic code indicated in the vinaya and...
in England and then spent a year in France, but he left the Order aged 26 before taking vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
He returned to John Manson Ltd in 1966, becoming a trainee meat buyer at Smithfield Market, and then becoming the manager of the company's butcher's shop on the King's Road
Kings Road
King's Road or Kings Road, known popularly as The King's Road or The KR, is a major, well-known street stretching through Chelsea and Fulham, both in west London, England...
. Shortly afterwards, Johnson took charge of the company's new acquisition, the Farepak hamper
Hamper
A hamper is a primarily British term for a wicker basket, usually large, that is used for the transport of items, often food.In North America, the term generally refers to a household receptacle for clean or dirty clothing, regardless of its composition, i.e...
business, which operated through local agents offering hampers through a Christmas saving club. The company was able to secure an increasing market share due to the decline of the high street butchers that offers a similar service. The butchers were facing stiff competition for their regular trade from the expanding supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s, but the supermarkets did not enter the hamper business. The Farepak operations moved to Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
in 1979.
Johnson became managing director of Mansons in 1980. He wanted the company to move away from high street butchery and to concentrate on selling mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
hampers, but his father and the other directors did not agree. The dispute was resolved in 1984 by Farepak demerging
Demerger
Demerger is a form of corporate restructuring in which the an entity's business operations are segregated into one or more components. It is the converse of a merger or acquisition....
from Mansons. Johnson left with the demerged Farepak and grew the business rapidly, but the rump of Manson's butcher's business stagnated under Knapman's control.
Farepak expanded its mail-order hamper business to include frozen food, drinks, Christmas gifts, and shopping vouchers. The company became a plc
Public limited company
A public limited company is a limited liability company that sells shares to the public in United Kingdom company law, in the Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth jurisdictions....
in 1989, and was listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
in 1993, with an annual turnover exceeding £30 million. Farepak acquired Kleeneze
Kleeneze
Kleeneze Homecare is a multi-level marketing company, and was started in 1923, in Hanham, Bristol, England. The founder, Harry Crook, had emigrated to America with his family several years earlier and while there joined Fuller Brush as a sales representative. He returned to Bristol several years...
in 1995, adding door-to-door sales of household cleaning products to the mail-order hamper business. Farepak was renamed as Kleeneze plc in 1999. By 2001, the group had an annual turnover of over £200 million with a market capitalisation exceeding £85 million. Johnson and his family continued to hold over half of its shares.
Philanthropy
In later life, Johnson spent time on philanthric activities. He funded expeditions to MalawiMalawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
by orthopaedic surgeon Hein Raat, and became a funder and trustee of the Impact Foundation which operates hospitals in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. He also funded a Chair of European Thought at Oxford University in 1997, and donated money to the Refugee Studies Centre in Oxford which studies forced migration
Forced migration
Forced migration refers to the coerced movement of a person or persons away from their home or home region...
. He was also a member of the Worshipful Company of Butchers
Worshipful Company of Butchers
The Worshipful Company of Butchers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London, England. Records indicate that an organization of Butchers existed as early as 975; the Butchers' Guild, the direct predecessor of the present Company, was granted the right to regulate the trade in 1331. The...
, and a freeman
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
.
He became a director of (and investor in) Prospect magazine, sponsored Garsington Opera
Garsington Opera
Garsington Opera is an annual open air summer opera festival founded in 1989 by Leonard Ingrams. For twenty one years it was held in the gardens of Leonard Ingrams' home at Garsington Manor in Oxfordshire. Since 2011 the festival is now held in Wormsley Park, the home of the Getty family near High...
, collected works of art, and advised the Ashmolean Museum
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
and Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
.
He died of a heart attack in 2001, while on holiday at Olbia
Olbia
Olbia is a town and comune of 56,231 inhabitants in northeastern Sardinia , in the Gallura sub-region. Called Olbia in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle Ages and Terranova Pausania before the 1940s, Olbia was again the official name of the town after the period of Fascism.-Geography:It is the...
in Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
. He was survived by his wife and two children.