Alfred Marshall, Founder of Stores That Bear His Name, Dies at 94

His son Ronald confirmed his death.

Mr. Marshall had been selling wholesale cosmetics, baby products and other sundries out of his grocery store in Beverly, Mass., Ronald Marshall said, when he built a large addition that became the first Marshall’s (the company name used an apostrophe at the time), with financing from two partners.

By 1976 there were 36 stores in New England and California owned by Mr. Marshall and three partners. Mr. Marshall also owned five stores independently on three Caribbean islands. That year he and his partners sold the stores to the Melville Corporation.

TJX, the parent company of the off-price retailer T. J. Maxx, bought Marshalls in 1995, when the company had 496 stores. TJX now manages more than 3,000 stores worldwide.

Alfred Marshall was born on Feb. 28, 1919, in Lawrence, Mass. He graduated from Beverly High School in Beverly, Mass., before enlisting in the Navy during World War II. He returned to Beverly after the war and married Marirose Pelletier. He worked as a contractor and welder before acquiring a fruit stand that eventually became a grocery store.

In addition to his son Ronald, Mr. Marshall is survived by his second wife, the former Estelle Newburg; another son, Jan; a daughter, Deborah Miller; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. His first wife died in 2001.

The original Marshall’s location remained open in Beverly for decades but eventually closed, Ronald Marshall said. The building has been converted back into a supermarket.