The billionaire philanthropist who founded the supermarket chain Kwik Save has died aged 87. Albert Gubay, who once made a “pact with God” to leave half his wealth to the Church, died at his home in Cheshire. His firm, the Derwent Group, announced: “It is with the greatest sadness that we have to announce the death of our founder. Our thoughts are with his wife, Carmel, his children and grandchildren.” In 2011 Mr Gubay told the BBC that he made a pact with God as a young businessman. He said: “One Saturday, I didn’t know where the next penny was coming from and I lay on my bed and I had this conversation with God. I said: ‘God, help me and whatever I make over the years of my life, when I die, half will go to the Church.’ ” In 2010 he had given £470 million of his personal fortune of £480 million to a charitable trust. The trust will give half of the money to causes identified by the Catholic Church, with the other half going to causes identified by the trustees. In 2011 then Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster conferred a papal knighthood on Mr Gubay, in recognition of his charitable acts. Mr Gubay was born in 1928 in Rhyl, Wales, to an Iraqi Jewish father and an Irish mother. He began his business career in North Wales selling sweets during the ration period following the Second World War. He went on to launch successful businesses such as the Total Fitness empire, and acquired property developments in Liverpool and Manchester. Mr Gubay made a fortune in excess of £1 billion, a figure he argued was “so great it does not mean anything”.