There was barely a dry eye in the house as Sir Ken Morrison brought his 55-year retail career to a close at last week’s Retail Week Awards.

The Morrisons chairman was presented with a special award for his outstanding contribution to retail by former Asda chief Allan Leighton, who praised Sir Ken for consistently innovating for more than five decades. The audience of 1,700 at the Grosvenor House Hotel responded with a spontaneous standing ovation.

The award capped a successful night for Morrisons, which also won the coveted Retailer of the Year award for its stunning recovery under chief executive Marc Bolland. Earlier that day, the company unveiled a 66 per cent rise in full-year pre-tax profits.

Tesco also had a successful night. The grocer was named Consumers’ Favourite Retailer and Sir Terry Leahy crowned Retail Leader of the Year.

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