The Bishop of Leicester has joined the tributes to a businessman who helped change the shape of modern food manufacturing and helped his family’s business into a £1.4 billion turnover giant.
Former Samworth Brothers chief executive, chairman and latterly its life-president, Sir David Samworth CBE DL died on August 16 following a short illness. He was 87.
Sir David joined the family firm – at the time called TN Parr – in 1956 having completed his national service with the Royal Leicestershires.
He replaced his father as managing director and after the business was sold in 1978 launched Samworth Brothers with John Samworth, growing it to become a national sandwich maker and food-to-go specialist, with a 10,000-strong workforce and subsidiaries such as Ginsters, Dickinson & Morris pork pies, Soreen, Urban Eat and Higgidy. It is now one of the biggest employers in its home town Melton Mowbray.
He was knighted in 2009 and his values were underpinned by his Christian faith – he had a long association with Leicester Cathedral, and supported its fundraising to make Leicester the final resting place of King Richard III.
He married his wife Rosemary in 1969 and they had four children, three daughters and a son, and seven grandchildren.
Bishop of Leicester The Rt Revd Martyn Snow said: “David was a kind and gentle individual who not only ran a very successful business, employing large numbers of people in Leicester and Leicestershire, but also influenced the life of this city and county through his generosity and hospitality.
“He was a great friend to the church, both at local, parish level and the diocese more widely. We give thanks to God for his life and ministry, and pray for Rosemary and their wider family.”
Sir David’s son, and current Samworth Brothers chairman, Mark Samworth said: “This is a significant moment for our business.
“Without Sir David, supported by his late brother John, there would be no Samworth Brothers.
“It was the vision, drive and values of the two brothers that laid down the strong foundations of our business and which drove such outstanding success.
“Whether in his early days growing the original Samworth family business or later building Samworth Brothers, a strong set of values always permeated David’s business life.
“He placed great importance on people as the cornerstone of any successful organisation and always sought to create a working environment that reflected this ethos.
“He also believed quality had to be at the heart of any business, whether that was quality of facilities, the product, customer service or our relationship with suppliers. He was enormously proud of the business and the achievements of everyone in Samworth Brothers.”
David Samworth was born in Birmingham in 1935, four decades after his grandfather George Samworth started up as a pig dealer in Birmingham.
After replacing his father Frank as MD, Sir David took a business management course at Harvard, and oversaw growth at TN Parr which included the 1969 acquisition of Pork Farms, doubling the size of the operation.
He led the flotation of Pork Farms in 1971, which had become one of the leading food businesses in the UK, and in 1978 the business was sold to Northern Foods.
Soon afterwards he and his brother John Samworth launched Samworth Brothers, adding Ginsters in the 1970s and Walker & Son in the 80s.
In 1993 the group opened Bradgate Bakery, in Leicester, with the potential to make 50 million sandwiches a year. Innovations into convenience meals and desserts soon followed.
Sir David sat on various national bodies while the Samworth Foundation supported the establishment of three academies in Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire as well as international education projects.
He served on the Trent Regional Health Authority and as Deputy Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Leicestershire and was knighted in 2009 for his services to charity.
