Derek Squirrell, co-founder of the Mardek Guide to the Grocery Trade, died suddenly last weekend. He was 63.
After a 35 sales year career in manufacturing, during which he handled leading brands including Chivas Regal, Chunky dogfood and Newforge, he published the first guide in 1993.
With his co-founder, the late Mark Veit, a management consultant who had been sales and marketing director of JA Sharwood, he designed Mardek' (derived from their two first names) to be "an efficient guide to smooth the buying and selling process".
Its detailed guide to corporate strategy, trading styles, consumer profiles and buying structures was an instant hit with the trade.
The directory was acquired by William Reed, publisher of The Grocer, in 1997.
Squirrel leaves a wife, Christine, two sons and a daughter.
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