Philanthropist Murray Koffler, founder of Shoppers Drug Mart, dead at 93

TORONTO — Murray Koffler, the founder of Shoppers Drug Mart, has died at the age of 93, according to Loblaw Companies Ltd.

Toronto-born Koffler was a pharmacist when he founded Shoppers in 1962.

The chain was taken over in 1978 by Imasco Ltd. and later acquired by Loblaw in 2014 for $12.4 billion.

Loblaw spokesman Kevin Groh said that while Koffler was not involved in the chain’s day-to-day business for many years, his legacy is reflected in the company’s stores and the philanthropic spirit behind its support for women’s health.

After Koffler witnessed his wife Marvelle’s follow-up treatment for breast cancer at New York’s Evelyn Lauder Breast Centre, the couple decided Canada needed a similar centre, so they founded the Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre in Toronto.

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Koffler’s philanthropy was also instrumental in the creation of the University of Toronto’s Koffler Institute of Pharmacy, as well as the school’s Koffler Student Centre.

The Canadian Press