Sir James Walker obituary
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Director of his family firm Walker’s Shortbread who turned a simple product into an international brand. Jim Walker, who has died at the age of 80, was one of the UK’s master exporters, turning a simple product into an international brand. The ubiquity of Walker’s Shortbread in the world’s airports and delis has made it a leading brand of the food and drink industry and an exemplar as to how a family business can expand and still retain its independence.
Jim himself was an understated and charming man who led the firm’s growth from its place of origin – the village of Aberlour, Moray, with a population of barely 1,000, tucked away on Speyside in the north-east of Scotland. Between its sites in Aberlour and Elgin, 12 miles away, it grew under his leadership to employ 1,500 people, with a turnover in 2023 of £184m.
In 1898, Jim’s grandfather, Joseph, an Aberdeenshire farmer, moved to Aberlour, took over the village bakery and developed the original shortbread recipe from which the company has never deviated. Jim and his siblings grew up above the shop in the village’s main street.
To this day, every new Walker’s product is market-tested through the original shop before being offered to consumers worldwide. In the 1960s, the Walker’s business began to spread its wings, having acquired the reputation of making the finest shortbread in Scotland. Jim’s elder brother Joe became the master baker, and their sister, Marjorie, looked after the commercial side as company secretary, while Jim worked to push the brand into large-scale outlets at home and abroad, now selling in more than 100 countries.
