Campbell, Thrifty Foods Founder, Dies at 70

SN STAFF

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Alex A. Campbell, who founded Thrifty Foods and served as its chairman emeritus, died here Tuesday at age 70 after a long illness, the company said.

Campbell began working in a grocery store as a teenager and worked his way up to a district manager for Shop Easy stores before co-founding Thrifty Foods with Ernie Skinner in 1977, according to a company history. Campbell served as Thrifty's president from 1991 to 2003, guiding its growth into one of Canada's most prominent independent chains before it was sold to Sobeys in 2007.

Campbell was known for charitable giving, especially his support of cancer-related charities. Service details were pending.