Tributes have been paid to the man who helped turn Next into one of the biggest brands in clothes retail.
Sir David Jones, who was 76, had been affected by Parkinson’s disease for some time. He died at the weekend.
He had joined Next from the Grattan catalogue business in 1986, becoming chief executive two years later following the ousting of founder George Davies.
It had been on the brink of collapse, but he helped turn its fortunes around to make it the third-biggest fashion chain in the 海角视频 behind Marks & Spencer and the Arcadia group.
Today Next has sales of £4 billion, and 500 branches, and is one of the best online performers in the sector.
Still based in the former quarrying village of Enderby, just outside Leicester, it is one of Leicestershire’s biggest employers.
Fiona Lambert, managing director of new River Island spin-off Harpenne, was womenswear product director at Next from 1999 to 2007.
She told Business Live: “David Jones was a rare combination.
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“He was an incredibly talented retailer, with a sharp, incisive talent for the right decisions, who shaped the Next of today.
“He was also a phenomenally kind person who had real empathy with people and customers.
“I feel very lucky that I got to work with him.”
In a statement the company said: “It is with great sadness that Next records the passing of its former chairman and chief executive Sir David Jones CBE over the weekend.
“David will be remembered by many of his colleagues as the man whose courage, good sense, kindness and hard work navigated the company through its most demanding moments in the late 1980s until his retirement in 2006.
“David was a true friend of Next and our thoughts are with his family at this time.”
During his years at Next Sir David guided current chief executive Lord Simon Wolfson, who was his assistant during the 1990s.
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He became chairman In 2002, appointing Wolfson as his successor – making him the youngest FTSE 100 chief executive at the time.
Lord Wolfson has been in charge at Next for almost 19 years.
Sir David, who also had board positions at Morrisons and JJB Sports, had been in poor health in recent years, having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 39 – something he kept secret until 2001.
In 2005 he wrote a book called Next to me: Luck, Leadership and Living with Parkinson’s, where he described the strategies he used to try and make life as normal of possible.
It had a foreword by Topshop owner Sir Philip Green, while actor Michael J Fox, who also has the condition, wrote “David Jones’ story offers anyone living with Parkinson’s the optimism and hope that great achievements – in business and in life – are still possible”.
Following his departure from Next in 2006, he joined the board of Sir Ken Morrison’s supermarket chain, and attempted to improve corporate governance with the appointments of non-executives, following a disastrous takeover of rival Safeway.
Later, he joined JJB Sports as executive chairman.