Murray Bernard Koffler, OC, O.Ont (born January 22, 1924) is a Canadian pharmacist, businessman, and philanthropist. He is best known for creating the Canadian pharmacy retailer, Shoppers Drug Mart.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, he received a Phm. B. degree in 1946 from the University of Toronto. He is married to Marvelle.

In 1946, he became a pharmacist at Koffler Drug Stores (established in 1921). From 1968 to 1971, he was President of Koffler Stores Ltd. From 1971 to 1986, he was Chairman of Shoppers Drug Mart. He was appointed an Honorary Chairman in 1986.

He and Marvelle established the Koffler Centre of the Arts at the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre in 1974. The Koffler is home to the Koffler Gallery which presents cutting edge contemporary art exhibitions; the Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards; the Toronto Jewish Book Fair, and extensive educational programs in music, dance, and visual arts. A new Koffler Centre of the Arts is under construction at the same site as part of the new Sherman Campus of the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and is to be completed in 2011 with greatly expanded galleries, performance spaces, and classrooms. He is credited as one of the founding visionaries behind the major Jewish cultural, recreational, and social service campus project.

His son moved to Israel where he created the very successful Super Pharm pharmacy stores.

[edit] Honours

In 1977, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada "for his many services to his community as businessman, philanthropist and patron of the arts".^[1] He was promoted to Officer in 1995. He was awarded the Order of Ontario in 1992.

In 1986, the Retail Council of Canada recognized Koffler's ability in leading the Oshawa Group to outstanding business success. In recognition of this accomplishment he was presented with the Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year Award. Koffler was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 1991.

The Murray Koffler Urologic Wellness Centre and the Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto is named in his honour and his wife's. The Koffler Student Services Centre and the Koffler Institute of Pharmacy Management at the University of Toronto are named in his honour.

[edit] References

• "Canadian Who's Who 1997 entry". http://www.utpress.utoronto.ca/cgi-bin/cw2w3.cgi?p=knox&t=18637&d=2497. Retrieved March 22, 2006. 
• Frank Rasky (1988). Just a Simple Pharmacist: The Story of Murray Koffler, Builder of the Shoppers Drug Mart Empire. McClelland & Stewart. 
• "Retail Council of Canada's Awards of Distinction". http://www.retailcouncil.org/awards/rcc/distinction.asp. Retrieved October 19, 2006.