OBITUARY: Parkash Singh Chima (George)

OBTIUARY: Parkash Singh Chima (George) PARKASH Singh Chima passed away on Thursday, February 11, aged 88, in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. He was born in 1922 in Punjab, India and came to England in 1950. Soon after arriving in London, an uncle sent hi

OBTIUARY: Parkash Singh Chima (George)

PARKASH Singh Chima passed away on Thursday, February 11, aged 88, in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

He was born in 1922 in Punjab, India and came to England in 1950. Soon after arriving in London, an uncle sent him to Ely with a suitcase of stock. He shared a terraced house in Waterside with colleagues and with his suitcase and pushbike he travelled across the fens, selling clothing from door-to-door.

In 1956, his wife and young family joined him. Soon he was able to buy a van and sell his wares at markets in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. After leaving school, his three sons Mohan, Gurchait and Gurnaik all helped in the thriving family business.

After residing in Fieldside, for more than 30 years, a business opportunity arose in Yorkshire, so in 1982, he left with his two youngest sons to expand the business further and his eldest son, Mohan, who lives in Witchford, carried on with the East Anglia business. From acquiring stalls in market halls across the north of England, followed by the opening of the first High Street store in Doncaster in 1985, the Bon Marche clothing

retail group was born. Eventually growing to more than 300 stores nationwide. Parkash retired and was made president of the company and in 2002, Bon Marche was sold to the Peacocks Group.

Parkash was a warm, generous, charitable man who also had a passion for gardening.

He is survived by his three sons, 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.