Doreen Lofthouse

Doreen Wilson Lofthouse, (née Cowell; 27 February 1930 – 30 March 2021) was a British businesswoman. Leaving school with no qualifications, she found work at the Lofthouse of Fleetwood chemists. She married into the Lofthouse family and, with her husband Alan, opened a chemist's shop. Lofthouse became interested in one of the products, Fisherman's Friend, a liquid sold to soothe aching joints and ease coughs in seamen. She developed a solid lozenge format which she marketed more widely to the general public.

After becoming managing director of Lofthouse of Fleetwood, Doreen Lofthouse expanded the manufacturing of the lozenges and introduced distinctive red and black packaging. After divorce from Alan, she married his nephew Tony and the couple continued efforts to market the product, achieving their first export deal in 1974. Fisherman's Friend became particularly popular in Germany and Singapore and, by 2021, annual output was 5 billion lozenges and revenue was £55 million. Lofthouse received three Queen's Awards to Industry for her success.

In 1994, Lofthouse and her husband established a charitable foundation that donated tens of millions of pounds to a variety of causes in the Fleetwood area. For her work with the company and for charity, she was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire and was granted the freedom of the borough.

Early life

Doreen Wilson Cowell was born on 27 February 1930 in Fleetwood, Lancashire. Cowell was described as a loud and determined child. She left school at the age of 15 in 1945 with no qualifications. The chemists, now known as Lofthouse of Fleetwood, had, in 1865, been run by James Lofthouse. He developed the Fisherman's Friend to treat the ailments of those working in the town's fishing fleet in the North Atlantic. The product was rubbed onto joints for pain or eaten on a sugar cube to treat coughs. Before this time, the product was virtually unknown outside of the fishing community.

Running Lofthouse of Fleetwood

In 1963, Doreen Lofthouse became managing director of Lofthouse of Fleetwood.

Personal life and legacy Lofthouse lived with Tony in Thornton, Lancashire. In 1994, she established, with Tony, the Lofthouse Foundation to put a portion of company profits to charitable causes; it went on to donate tens of millions of pounds to local charities. In the 2008 New Year Honours, she was appointed an officer of the same order for services to business and the community in Lancashire.

Lofthouse's home was burgled in March 2009, during which Tony was injured and the couple were confined to a bathroom overnight. They lost £500,000 of possessions including her MBE and OBE medals and a gold replica of a Fisherman's Friend that Tony had given to Lofthouse as a wedding present. Lofthouse donated the six-figure insurance payout to Lancashire Police, who used it to pay for a network of ANPR cameras.

Doreen's son with Alan Lofthouse, Duncan, went on to run the family business. In her will, she left £325,000 for her domestic staff and £41 million in Lofthouse of Fleetwood shares to the Lofthouse Foundation. On 24 January 2022, Wyre Council unveiled a commemorative board in Doreen Lofthouse's honour at Mount Garden.