Sir Arthur Noel Stockdale (25 December 1920 – 2 February 2004) was an English businessman who co-founded the British supermarket chain

Asda Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of York ...

, alongside Peter and Fred Asquith.

Early life

Stockdale was born at The Mill in the

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

village of

Pateley Bridge Pateley Bridge (known locally as Pateley) is a small market town in Nidderdale in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies on the River Nidd. It is in the Yorkshire Dales and ...

on 25 December 1920, the son of Arthur Stockdale (d. 1961) and Florence Alberta (''née Wilson''). He was educated at

Woodhouse Grove School Woodhouse Grove School ('The Grove') is an independent, co-educational, day and boarding public school and Sixth Form. it is located to the north of Apperley Bridge, West Yorkshire, England (Apperley Bridge is located in the City of Bradfor ...

Apperley Bridge Apperley is a village in Gloucestershire, England, about southwest of Tewkesbury, south of Deerhurst and east of the River Severn. It is the largest settlement in Deerhurst civil parish. In 2020 it had an estimated population of 625. The p ...

near

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

. His father Arthur was a farmer who established Hindells Dairy Farmers, a

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

co-operative which became Associated Dairies in 1949. Arthur was its managing director until his death in 1961. Stockdale briefly worked at his father's business after leaving school, before embarking on a dairying diploma at the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

Military career

Stockdale's studies at Reading were interrupted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He volunteered for the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

in 1940, serving as a pilot, and flying instructor, reaching the rank of

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...

Business career

On demobilisation Stockdale returned to work at Associated Dairies, becoming a board member in 1950. In 1964 he founded Asda Stores Ltd with grocers Fred and Peter Asquith. Stockdale was appointed Chairman of Asda in 1969. He drew on Associated Dairies' £13.5 annual turnover to fund the company. However, by the time of his departure from the chain, Asda had fallen behind both

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...

and

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company wa ...

in terms of total market share. Upon his retirement in 1986, Stockdale was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, made Life President of Asda, and awarded an honorary degree from the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

Personal life

Stockdale married Betty Monica Shaw in 1944. They had two sons, Michael and Christopher, and lived predominantly in

Wetherby Wetherby () is a market town and civil parish in the City of Leeds district, West Yorkshire, England, close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire, and lies approximately from Leeds City Centre, from York and from Harrogat ...

, Yorkshire. Stockdale was a chairman of

Leeds Rugby League Football Club The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club was formed in 1870 as Leeds St John's and play in the Super League, the top tier of English rugby league. They have played home matches at Headin ...

. His other hobbies were salmon fishing and gardening.

Death

Stockdale died on 2 February 2004 in

Harrogate District Hospital Harrogate District Hospital is an acute general hospital in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. It is managed by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust. History The hospital has its origins in the Harrogate General Hospital on Knaresbor ...

, leaving a sum of nearly £4.3 million to his wife and children. That October, at a ceremony in Asda House, Stockdale and the Asquith brothers were honoured with a plaque marking the creation of Associated Dairies and their contribution to grocery shopping in Britain.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stockdale, Noel 1920 births 2004 deaths Alumni of the University of Reading British retail company founders People educated at Woodhouse Grove School 20th-century English businesspeople Royal Air Force squadron leaders Royal Air Force personnel of World War II People from Wetherby