Noel Lister, who co-founded the British flat-pack furniture retailer MFI in the 1960s, died at the end of January at the age of 87.

MFI, the successful British furniture chain

Born in Southport on December 26, 1927, Lister spent three years in India as a child. He then enlisted in the army towards the end of the Second World War, where his career as an entrepreneur began by selling his ration of cigarettes to other soldiers. On his return he got a job working in a furniture shop in Camden, before setting up his own business selling dining room tables and chairs.

He went on to launch Mullard Furniture Industries in 1964 along with his business partner Donald Searle. The ‘Mullard’ derived from Searle’s wife’s maiden name.

MFI began as a business providing mail order self-assembly furniture, but soon expanded into physical stores. The retailer was perfectly placed for the out-of-town shopping boom in the 1980s and reaped the benefits of Margaret Thatcher’s Right to Buy scheme, as owners of former council houses sought to furnish their newly bought homes.

Lister sold his stake in MFI in 1985, 23 years before the retailer called in the administrators in 2008.

Retail analyst Robert Clark said MFI brought a completely new approach of DIY to the market, as well as modern furniture designs which hadn’t been refreshed since the 1930s.

“They were equivalent of the supermarkets which were appearing at the same time which was revolutionary, you could go out and buy something and take it home,” he said. “B&Q followed on from MFI, and started off the DIY trend – I was very proud of the MFI wardrobe I made.”

Lister was an avid sailor and spent £4m on founding the Isle of Wight sailing and water sports charity UKSA, which is based in Cowes where he lived with his wife Sylvia. The charity focuses on developing sailing skills for young people and works with schools, as well as disadvantaged and disabled young people.

After he sold MFI he and his wife spent 10 years sailing 200,000 miles, exploring the world in their 105ft Whirlwind XII yacht, which he built himself.

Towards the end of the 20th century, Lister and his wife chose to live in the Bahamas.

Lister passed away on January 29, 2015.