| "A real canny bugger and streets ahead of everybody else in terms of food retailing," is how one former rival describes Morrison, 71. He has been much in the news of late, launching a £2.5 billion agreed takeover bid for Safeway in January, which prompted a flurry of counter-bids. A complex poker game is now under way, with the regulators watching. Meanwhile, Wm Morrison's 119 stores are performing well, with underlying sales up 9.4% in 2002-03. But uncertainties over the takeover bid and tumbling markets have taken their toll on the Bradford-based firm's shares. The family's stake is now valued at £807m. Other assets are worth £43m.
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9=
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£1,300m
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