The Weston family's monument at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
The Weston family is a prominent family of businesspeople that was founded in Canada and eventually developed global business interests, primarily in the food and retail sectors.[1] The family operations began with the purchase of a bakery in 1884 by American-born Canadian George Weston in Toronto, Ontario.[2] Over the course of subsequent decades, his descendants also established themselves in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States.
Through George Weston Limited and various holding companies, the Canadian branch of the Weston family currently owns or controls over 200 companies, including the Loblaws supermarket chain and the Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy chain. Among their other businesses, members of this branch own or control several additional retailers, including Holt Renfrew in Canada.[3] They previously owned other upscale department stores in the Selfridges Group, including Selfridges in the UK, Brown Thomas and Arnotts in Ireland, and De Bijenkorf in the Netherlands.[4][5]
The main holding company of the British branch of the family is Wittington Investments. 79.2% of this company belongs to a British charitable trust called the Garfield Weston Foundation, with the balance owned by various family members. Wittington Investments owns a majority stake in Associated British Foods (which itself owns the discount clothing chain Primark), and 100% of British retailers Fortnum & Mason and Heal's.
In 2021, The Sunday Times named the Weston family among the most charitable people over the past 20 years, with donations of £1.661 billion.[6][7]
^Forbes: Galen Weston & Family
^Badgley, Kerry (2005). "Weston, George". In Cook, Ramsay; Bélanger, Réal (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XV (1921–1930) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
^"Selfridges sold for £4bn to Thai-Austrian alliance". BBC News. 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
^"Brown Thomas and Arnotts may sell in £4bn Selfridges deal". Irish Times. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
^"Selfridges owners agree £4bn sale to Thailand's Central Group". Retail Gazette. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
^McCall, Nick Rodrigues and Alastair. "Marcus Rashford tops The Sunday Times Giving List 2021". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
^"20 years of the Giving List by Alsastair McCall | CAF". www.cafonline.org. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
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The WestonFamily Foundation (formerly The W. Garfield Weston Foundation) is a Canadian charitable foundation committed to making grants in Canada for...
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Weston Limited, a Canadian food processing and distribution company. Weston and his family, with an estimated net worth of US$8.7 billion, are listed as the...
George Weston Limited, often referred to as Weston or Weston's, is a Canadian holding company. Founded by George Weston in 1882, the company today consists...
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through the Garfield Weston Foundation in London and the WestonFamily Foundation in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Garfield Weston Foundation is one of...
Sir Francis Weston KB (1511 – 17 May 1536) was a gentleman of the Privy Chamber at the court of King Henry VIII of England. He became a friend of the king...
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Hilary Mary Weston CM CVO OOnt (née Frayne; born January 12, 1942) is an Irish–Canadian businesswoman and writer who served as the 26th Lieutenant Governor...
"Garry" Weston CBE (April 28, 1927 – February 15, 2002) was a Canadian businessman who was active in the United Kingdom and a member of the Westonfamily. Born...
Canada. Both companies are controlled by the Westonfamily. Through these holding companies, the Westonfamily control some of the biggest names in food...
Celia Weston is an American character actress. Weston received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her performance in Dead Man Walking (1995),...
transformation was completed 2007, culminating with the opening of the WestonFamily Innovation Centre and the Teluscape plaza. In response to the COVID-19...
wildflowers. The site was officially opened in 1997 and christened the WestonFamily Quarry Garden. The Beltline Trail, along the path of the old Toronto...
Companies, Canada's largest food retailer, which is controlled by the Westonfamily. It is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. In December 2012, Loblaw...
Fresh. It is controlled by George Weston Limited, a holding company controlled by the Westonfamily; Galen G. Weston is the chair of the Loblaw board of...
in 1809, was built for Ezra Weston II (1772–1842) and his wife, Jerusha Bradford Weston (1770–1833). Like his father, Weston was known as "King Caesar"...
"Kate" Hobhouse (née Weston; born July 1962) is a British heiress, businesswoman and philanthropist who is a member of the Westonfamily. She is the chairman...
Garfield Weston Foundation, which is one of the UK's largest grant-making charitable trusts, and the remainder is owned by members of the Westonfamily. Wittington...
following list contains the world's 50 largest family businesses by revenue. All data comes from the Family Business Index 500 report by the British auditing...
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