Malcolm Walker
Malcolm Walker is the chairman and CEO of frozen food supermarket Iceland.
Career
Walker opened a single small frozen food shop called Iceland in 1970 in Owestry in 1970. In 2000 the supermarket acquired cash and carry business Booker.
Walker was fired from Iceland in 2001, the supermarket was renamed The Big Food Group, and Walker opened Cooltrader. Without Walker the supermarket struggled and in 2005 rehired him as CEO. In 2012 he became chairman and chief executive of the company after leading a £1.45 billion management buyout with the support of three new equity investors.[1]
Letter to the Telegraph
On 1 April 2015 Walker was one of 103 business leaders who wrote to the Telegraph praising the British Conservative Party's economic policies and claiming a Labour government would 'threaten jobs and deter investment' in the UK.[2]
Tax avoidance
In 2012, Walker refused to pay a £2.5 million tax bill after taking 800 managers on a trip to Disney World in Florida, accusing the government of a 'tax on fun'.[3] Walker later settled the bill with Inland Revenue, after saying they had made concessions 'and we're very happy with the outcome'.[4]
Political donations
Recorded by the Electoral Commission:[5]
| Date | Name of donor | Amount | Donated to | Subsidiary (parties only) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31/03/2010 | Malcolm Walker | £5,000.00 | Liberal Democrats | North Norfolk and Great Yarmouth |
| 20/06/2012 | Malcolm Walker | £10,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
Notes
- ↑ Iceland Malcom Walker's biography, accessed 7 April 2015.
- ↑ Peter Dominiczak, 100 business chiefs: Labour threatens Britain's recovery, Telegraph, 7 April 2015.
- ↑ Sky News Iceland Tax Row Over £2.5m Disney Trip Bill, 1 June 2013, accessed 7 April 2015.
- ↑ The Tory 100: captains of industry, party donors (and a few tax avoiders) Guadian, 1 April 2015, accessed 7 April 2015.
- ↑ Electoral Commission, Donation Search, accessed 2 April 2015.
