Weston family

The Weston family's monument at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto

The Weston family of Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom is a family of prominent business people with global interests in food and clothing businesses.^[1] The family operations began with the founding of a bakery in Toronto, Ontario by George Weston.^[2]

Through George Weston Limited and various holding companies, the Canadian branch of the Weston family owns or controls over 200 companies, including Canada's largest supermarket chain, Loblaws. Among their other businesses, they own or control a number of retailers, including upscale department stores Holt Renfrew in Canada, Brown Thomas in Ireland and Selfridges in the United Kingdom.

The main holding company of the British branch of the family is Wittington Investments. 79.2% of this company belongs to a charitable trust called the Garfield Weston Foundation, with the balance owned by family members. Wittington Investments owns a majority stake in Associated British Foods (which itself owns the discount clothing chain Primark), and 100% of retailers Fortnum & Mason and Heal & Son.

Family members

George Weston in 1911

• George Weston (1864–1924), married Emma Maud Richards; six children (of whom two sons and two daughters survived childhood),^[2] including:
  • W. Garfield Weston (1898–1978),^[3] married Reta Lila Howard (1897–1967); nine children:
    • Miriam Louise Weston (1922–2008),^[4] married Charles Ryland Burnett Jr. (1918–2004);^[5] one child:
      • Charles Ryland Burnett III (1956–2018)^[6]
    • George Grainger Weston (b. 1923),^[7] married the Hon. Caroline Cecily Douglas-Scott-Montagu (1925–2017), daughter of John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu; five children^[8]
    • Barbara Elizabeth Weston (d. 2001),^[9] married Dr. Robert Ian Mitchell (d. 2002);^[10] six children:^[11]
      • Garfield Mitchell
      • Eliza Mitchell
      • Mark W. Mitchell^[12]
      • Emma Susan Mitchell, married Charles Adamo^[13][10]
      • Sarah Mitchell, married Eric Siebert
      • Serena Mitchell
    • Garry Weston (1927–2002), married Mary Kippenberger, daughter of Major General Sir Howard Kippenberger; six children:
      • Guy Weston (b. 1960)
      • Jana Khayat (b. 1961)
      • Kate Hobhouse
      • George G. Weston (b. 1964)
      • Sophia Mason
      • Garth Weston
    • Nancy Weston, married Stanley Baron
    • Wendy Weston, married Leslie Rebanks
    • Gretchen Weston, married Humberto Bauta
    • Camilla Weston, married Peter Dalglish; three children:^[14]
      • Kim Dalglish, married Martin Abell
      • Geordie Dalglish, married Swith Bell
      • Genevieve Kate Dalglish (1970–2017)^[14]
    • Galen Weston (b. 1940), married Hilary Frayne (b. 1942); two children:
      • Galen G. Weston (b. 1972), married Alexandra Schmidt, granddaughter of Thomas J. Bata
      • Alannah Weston (b. 1972), married Alexander Cochrane, son of Sir Marc Cochrane, 4th Baronet

See also

• Garfield Weston Foundation (based in the United Kingdom)
• The W. Garfield Weston Foundation (based in Canada)

References