Obituary: CESA Patron Peter Sayer dies

Former CESA Patron Peter Sayer has died aged 91.

Sayer was well known to many in the Catering Equipment Suppliers Association (CESA) and the hospitality industry at large and was a regular attendee at many Hotelympia exhibitions as well as CESA patrons' lunches.

Sayer also supplied a wealth of information for the publication the History of CESA, published in 2013 to celebrate the 75th anniversary.

"Peter will be sadly missed," commented Keith Warren, director of CESA, on the news of his death.

Sayer served as a pilot in the RAF during the Second World War, and on his return to civilian life joined Benham & Sons in February 1947 as a trainee sales representative at their Bournemouth branch office.

Benham & Sons was a founder member of the Catering Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) and a leading manufacturer of prime cooking appliances and ancillary kitchen equipment during the post-war years. Their speciality was the complete kitchen project and they employed some 40 skilled draughtsmen in their London head office designing commercial kitchens.

Sayer went on to become Bournemouth Branch Manager, responsible for the sales activities in all branch offices throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland. In 1980 when Benhams merged with Stotts of Oldham to form Stott-Benham, [now Electrolux], Sayer was made national sales manager responsible for complete kitchen schemes.

On retirement from Stott-Benham in 1990, Sayer was awarded the OBE for his services to the catering equipment industry.

Shortly afterwards he joined Fellows as a sales consultant and remained with them until his death.

In 2002 Sayer was awarded the CESA/Caterer and Hotelkeeper Lifetime Achievement Award.

His funeral will be held at Bournemouth Crematorium, Strouden Avenue, Bournemouth, Dorset on Thursday 12 November at 12.00pm and afterwards at the Miramar Hotel, Bournemouth.