Donald John Lewin OBE (11 June 1933 – 25 October 2024) was a British businessman.
Lewin was born on 11 June 1933 in Bow, London, the son of a chimney sweep.
[1][2] After leaving school at the age of 15, he worked for a building firm, did two years of National Service, sold brushes from door to door, sold credit and, when he was 26, got a job as a freelance salesman selling greeting cards to retailers.
[1][3] By 1988, he had created a chain of 87 shops and floated the company on the stock exchange for a valuation of £20 million, retaining 50 per cent of the shares and using money raised to acquire rival greeting cards chains.
[4] The family stake in the business, share sales and other assets were estimated to be worth £139 million in 2008.