Jill Strieder, the managing director of Fenwick’s Bond Street store in London, has passed away, the department store chain has announced.

Strieder died today following a short illness. She had been managing director at the store for 13 years and is credited by Fenwick with having transformed the business.

A statement from Fenwick paid tribute to Strieder’s dedication to the store. It read: “We will miss her immeasurably at the store she loved so much. Our thoughts are with her husband and her family.”  

Established by John James Fenwick in 1882, Fenwick originally sold only mantles, silk goods, dresses and fabrics. It was not until 1890 when Fenwick’s eldest son Fred Fenwick joined the family business that it broadened into a department store.

The retailer’s headquarters are based at its original department store in Newcastle. Its other stores are located in London’s Brent Cross and Bond Street, Leicester, York, Windsor, Canterbury and Tunbridge wells.

The department store group is still owned by the Fenwick family.