Parkash Singh Chima

PARKASH Singh Chima of Huddersfield, who has died aged 88, founded with his family the Bon Marche retail group of ladies' wear stores.

Mr Chima was born into a poor farming family in Punjab, India. As the eldest son he was in charge of the family farm. At an early age, he decided to become a truckers' mate, travelling throughout the whole of India delivering local produce farmed in Punjab.

He stuck at that for two years, but he was an ambitious young man and became frustrated by a boss who refused to let him learn to drive.

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He decided to leave his home to find fame and fortune in England, and so it was that in 1950 he sailed from Bombay to start a new life, leaving his wife and their two children behind.

Three weeks later, upon arrival in England he travelled to Ely, Cambridgeshire, to be greeted by an uncle who immediately took him to the nearest barber where, having removed his turban, his hair and beard were cut so that he might mix more easily with the local community.

He began to earn his living straight away, going door to door on a pushbike selling nylons, shirts and any other clothing that was in short supply in the post-war years to the local farming community. Buying was his special skill, especially bartering. He haggled with suppliers and had no qualms about walking out of their factories or warehouses in London empty-handed. However, because he always paid cash, his suppliers would always call him back, agreeing to the prices he wanted to pay. He soon made enough money to send for his wife and children.

From door to door selling, Mr Chima made the transition to successful outdoor market trader in East Anglia.

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Having never missed a day's trading come rain, snow or shine, he instilled the discipline of this work ethic into his children. As his sons, Mohan, Gurchait and Gurnaik, left school, they all joined what was now a thriving family business.

An achievement for anyone, this success was especially formidable for someone who had never had any formal schooling but who had taught himself to read and speak English, Punjabi and Urdu fluently. The boys especially remember their younger days when their father would wake them at exactly 5am every morning, to begin the market day. The training stood Gurchait in good stead and his father groomed him to become the buyer for the family business.

In 1982, an opportunity arose to acquire a retail clothing business with 26 indoor market locations in the North of England. Acquiring this, however, would mean investing almost every penny that Mr Chima possessed. Son Gurchait felt this could be a life-changing opportunity for the family, and not doubting his son's judgment, Mr Chima agreed they should go ahead and purchase the business. While he continued to run the outdoor markets in East Anglia, Gurchait moved to Huddersfield, joining his cousin and new business partner Surjeet Khela to set up the base for the new company.

In 1984, once the new business was on a sound footing, Mr Chima uprooted the rest of the family and moved to Huddersfield. In 1985, the first Bon Marche high street store was opened in Doncaster.

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Even after retirement, Mr Chima continued to visit the Bon Marche head office every day without fail, making sure everything was running smoothly; he enjoyed chatting with staff and management alike. In 2002, the family made the decision to sell the business to the Peacocks Group. By this time there were over 270 stores nationwide turning over in excess of 200m annually.

After the 2002 sale of the business, Mr Chima focused on his hobbies.

Such a distinguished figure, it was natural that he should have been made a trustee of the Sikh Temple in Huddersfield and Sikh Leisure Centre. His greatest passions were his luxury cars and his gardening.

Mr Chima is survived by his sons Mohan, Gurchait and Gurnaik, 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.