Kwik Fit founder Sir Tom Farmer dies aged 84

The founder of the Kwik Fit garage chain, Sir Tom Farmer, has died at the age of 84.

The Edinburgh-born businessman died peacefully at his home in the city on Friday, his family said.

He built the company into the world’s biggest independent tyre and automotive chain, selling it to Ford for £1bn in 1999.

Sir Tom owned a majority stake in Hibernian FC for 28 years, selling his interest in the club in 2019.

Sir Tom was born in Leith in 1940 and first opened a tyre business in 1964.

He started Kwik Fit in 1971, eventually operating in more than 2,000 locations in 18 countries.

He was knighted in 1997 for his services to the automotive industry and was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 2009 for his charitable work.

A statement from his family said: “Sir Tom’s long and extensive career touched many aspects of Scottish and UK life.

“His business career is well documented, as was his commitment to philanthropy, his many public roles and his unwavering support and appreciation for the communities and people that he lived his life within.”

Sir Tom’s philanthropic work saw him awarded the Carnegie Medal and he became a Knight Commander with Star of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, an honour bestowed by the Pope, in 1997.

“Sir Tom’s Roman Catholic faith was present throughout all areas of his life. He attended mass weekly in Edinburgh and enjoyed the friendship and company of many people with the Catholic community both here in Scotland and further afield,” his family said.

“Sir Tom will be remembered by many for his deep commitment to his family, his work and his faith and for being at all times a proud Scotsman,” they added.

A statement from Hibernian on the social media platform X said:

“Hibernian FC are devastated to hear of the passing of former owner Sir Tom Farmer, aged 84.

“Thank you for everything, Tom. Rest in peace.”

First Minister John Swinney wrote: “Very sorry to hear of the death of Sir Tom Farmer, an outstanding entrepreneur and such a generous individual to so many causes in Scotland.

“My condolences to his family.”

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said he was a “proud Scot” and a “huge contributor” to Edinburgh’s community football.

Sir Tom was described as a “family man” in the announcement.

He married Anne in 1966 after they met at their local church and they were together for 57 years until her death in 2023.

Their family said Sir Tom often credited Anne for his business success: “In later years when asked about the secret to his success, he would often say it was because he ‘married a girl like Anne,'” they said.

“They lived their whole married life in Edinburgh and are survived by their two children and four grandchildren.”

Sir Tom Farmer became better known in later life for his role at Hibs, his philanthropy and his support for younger entrepreneurs.

But his business skills had a real impact.

Having made a small fortune in the 1960s, he moved to the USA, and it was there that he absorbed sales techniques he would adapt for the Kwik Fit chain he went on to found.

He had an innovative, disruptive response to the oily independent repair garages his company replaced, with a new approach to branding and marketing.

What really made Kwik Fit stand out was customer service and staff training. As a man of faith, Tom Farmer conveyed humility with a recognition that every individual mattered.

Each employee had a role in customer service. The aim was not just to satisfy customers but to leave them “delighted”.

Relationship sales, in a service which had the customer at a disadvantage in knowing what’s required to mend a car, relied on building trust in the brand.

The advertising underlined that. You weren’t just buying new tyres; you were buying a service from skilled staff, and the advertising portrayed them as delighted to serve.

That much became standard in customer care. It was Sir Tom Farmer who brought that to Scotland, and built it out across other countries.

Arguably, online commerce has sacrificed much of that human connection.