The directors and shareholders of Maurice Lay Distributors Ltd have announced the death of founder and chairman Maurice Lay, who has passed away peacefully at home aged 88, surrounded by his family.
The company said that Lay was 'without a doubt a giant of the appliance industry', leaving school at 14 and working his way to senior roles in the Dutch appliance company, Philips, before leaving to start the company that bore his name with his wife Jean. His company was formed initially to distribute Zanussi, which was an unknown entity in 1977. With his good friend George Dorman, Zanussi’s MD, he was influential in growing the Italian brand in the UK and became their largest customer.
After the acquisition of Zanussi by Electrolux, Lay decided, with his family, to lead the company along a different path, and together they created the Caple brand which gave him the satisfaction of an independent range of kitchen products without the heavy hand of a large corporation.
He is said to have refused offers of roles in the City of London and with international brands, as he didn’t want to spend his time jetting across continents, preferring instead to work at the coalface – the thrill of the sale was always his greatest motivation. He was active and worked until the age of 85 and his opinion was always respected by the directors of his company. The company remains a family business, with his son Danny Lay as managing director.
