# James Gulliver > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/James_Gulliver > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/James_Gulliver.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gulliver > Source revision: 1307735845 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) British businessman (1930–1996) **James Gerald Gulliver** (17 August 1930 – 12 September 1996) was the founder of [Argyll Foods](/source/Argyll_Foods), one of the United Kingdom's largest retail businesses. ## Career He was born in [Campbeltown](/source/Campbeltown), Scotland, the son of successful grocer[1] William Frederick Gulliver and Mary (née Lafferty).[2][3][4] He was educated at Campbeltown Grammar School then studied at [University of Glasgow](/source/University_of_Glasgow) and [Georgia Institute of Technology](/source/Georgia_Institute_of_Technology). Gulliver served for three years in the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) before joining Urwick Orr & Partners, [management consultants](/source/Management_consultant).[5] In 1965 he joined [Fine Fare](/source/Fine_Fare) where he became [chairman](/source/Chairman) within two years.[5] In 1977, together with [Alistair Grant](/source/Alistair_Grant), a [marketing](/source/Marketing) specialist who he had worked with at Fine Fare, and David Webster, a [merchant banker](/source/Merchant_bank), he founded James Gulliver Associates. In September 1978, he bought the meat company belonging to [Manchester United](/source/Manchester_United_F.C.) chairman [Louis Edwards](/source/Louis_Edwards) for £100,000 plus shares and renamed it [Argyll Foods](/source/Argyll_Foods), acquiring numerous retail concerns including 130 [Safeway](/source/Safeway_(UK)) outlets.[5] Within 10 years of the purchase, the company was worth £1.7 billion. Gulliver also bought 100,000 of Edwards' shares in Manchester United for £250,000 and was given a seat on the club's board of directors (although fellow director and former manager [Matt Busby](/source/Matt_Busby) abstained from the vote to give Gulliver a seat, saying he did not know who Gulliver was).[6] Gulliver later became the club's vice-president. He sold his stake in 1986, but retained two seats in the directors' box at the club's [Old Trafford](/source/Old_Trafford) ground.[7] He was also the vice-chairman of [Heart of Midlothian](/source/Heart_of_Midlothian_F.C.).[8] In 1985, he tried unsuccessfully to acquire [Distillers](/source/Distillers_Company) but lost the bidding to [Guinness](/source/Guinness). He retired from the business later that year.[5] In 1990, he was elected a Fellow of the [Royal Society of Edinburgh](/source/Royal_Society_of_Edinburgh). His proposers were Hugh Sutherland, Ronald Roberts, Sir [Kenneth Alexander](/source/Kenneth_Alexander_(economist)) and Sir [Monty Finniston](/source/Monty_Finniston).[4] He was awarded the [CVO](/source/Royal_Victorian_Order) in 1995 for his services to the [Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme](/source/Duke_of_Edinburgh's_Award_Scheme).[8] ## Personal life and death He was married four times: to Margaret Joan Cormack (1958), Joanne Simms (1977), Marjorie H. Moncrieff (1985) and lastly Melanie Crossley (1993).[4] He had five children with his first wife. Gulliver died in [Edinburgh](/source/Edinburgh) in 1996.[8] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Ibrahim, Youssef M. (17 September 1996). ["James Gulliver, Chairman Of Food Group, Dies at 66"](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/17/world/james-gulliver-chairman-of-food-group-dies-at-66.html). *The New York Times* – via NYTimes.com. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** People of Today 1995 edition, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 1995, p. 827 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Gulliver, James Gerald (1930–1996), businessman"](https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-63338). *[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_National_Biography#Oxford_Dictionary_of_National_Biography)* (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1093/ref:odnb/63338](https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%2F63338). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-861412-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-861412-8). (Subscription, [Wikipedia Library](https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/partners/88/) access or [UK public library membership](https://www.oxforddnb.com/help/subscribe#public) required.) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-auto_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-auto_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-auto_4-2) [*Biological index of former fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783 – 2002*](https://web.archive.org/web/20130124115814/http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf) (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-902-198-84-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-902-198-84-X). Archived from [the original](https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf) (PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2016. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nyt_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nyt_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-nyt_5-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-nyt_5-3) [James Gulliver Chairman of Food Group dies at 66](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/17/world/james-gulliver-chairman-of-food-group-dies-at-66.html?sec=&spon=) *New York Times*, 17 September 1996 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Dewhurst, Keith (2009). *When You Put on a Red Shirt*. London: Yellow Jersey Press. p. 258. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780224082839](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780224082839). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Basham, Brian (23 September 1996). ["Obituary:James Gulliver"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaryjames-gulliver-1364715.html). *The Independent*. Independent Print. Retrieved 17 April 2015. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-rse_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-rse_8-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-rse_8-2) ["RSE Fellowship"](https://web.archive.org/web/20061004124315/http://www.rse.org.uk/fellowship/obits/obits_alpha/gulliver_james.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](http://www.rse.org.uk/fellowship/obits/obits_alpha/gulliver_james.pdf) (PDF) on 4 October 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2009. This Scottish business-related biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Scotland-business-bio-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AScotland-business-bio-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Scotland-business-bio-stub) This article about a British businessperson born in the 1930s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:UK-business-bio-1930s-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AUK-business-bio-1930s-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:UK-business-bio-1930s-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [James Gulliver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gulliver) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gulliver?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.