Anwar Pervez

For Bangladeshi music composer and music director, see Anwar Pervez (musician).

Sir
Anwar Pervez
OBE, HPk
Born (1935-03-15) 15 March 1935 (age 89)[1]
Rawalpindi, British India (now Pakistan)
NationalityBritish
CitizenshipBritish and Pakistani dual citizenship
Occupation(s)Chairman, Bestway
SpouseSabiha Kasim
Children4
RelativesZameer Choudrey (nephew)

Sir Mohammed Anwar Pervez OBE, HPk (Urdu: سر انور پرویز; born 15 March 1935) is a Pakistani-born British billionaire businessman.[2] He is the founder and chairman of Bestway Group.

According to the Sunday Times Rich List, in 2020 Pervez's net worth was £3.1 billion, and the richest Pakistan-born Briton in the UK.[3] The 2021 list gave his family's assets as £1.364 billion, placing them 125th on the list.[4]

Early life

Mohammed Anwar Pervez was born on 15 March 1935 to a subsistence farming family in Rawalpindi, then under British rule.[5] He did his matriculation in Pakistan. He studied at Forman Christian College. In 1956, he moved to the UK at the age of 21.[5][6]

Career

His first paid employment was as a telephone operator for Pakistan's state-owned telecommunications company PTCL.[5] At PTCL, he used to work for Rs. 96 a month and most of it was spent on anti-malaria medications.[7]

In 1956, Pervez emigrated to England. He initially worked as a bus conductor and driver in Bradford.[5] He worked seven days a week on double shifts for about £16-£18 a week.[5]

In 1961, Pervez partnered with a friend and opened a shop in London.[5] The partnership led to the purchase of a house in Kilburn, accumulating savings of nearly £4,000.[5] After a seven-month visit to Pakistan, Pervez established his convenience store, Kashmir, in Earl's Court, specializing in Asian food products.[5] Observing the demand for extended shopping hours, he expanded his business operations to accommodate both local residents and tourists.[5][8]

From 1963 to 1968, Pervez focused on operating specialized Asian shops in South Kensington before serving a wider community.[5] To address high supplier costs, he transitioned his business into the wholesale business, maintaining low profit margins to offer competitive prices.[5]

In 1976, using personal funds and investments from friends, Pervez founded Bestway as a trade-only wholesaler.[5][6] He opened Bestway's first wholesale warehouse in Acton, West London.[6]

In 1987, Pervez established the Bestway Foundation, which allocates 2.5% of the group's profits to educational and health initiatives.[5]

Bestway has since grown to a multibillion-pound enterprise, and as of 2014 Bestway is the second-largest independent wholesaler in the UK.[9] In 2014, his group bought 774 pharmacies from The Co-operative Group for £620 million.[10]

Personal life

He is currently married to his second wife Sabiha Kasim with whom he had four children. A son from his first marriage and another from his second are directors of Bestway.[11][12]

In 2012, their daughter married Syed Abid Hussain Imam, the son of Pakistani politicians Abida Hussain and Fakhar Imam.[12]

Honours

Pervez was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1992[13] and a Knight Bachelor in 1999.[14]

In March 2000, he was awarded Hilal-i-Pakistan by the Pakistani Government for his services to Pakistan.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 3113. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
  2. ^ Marlow, Ben (18 July 2014). "Bestway cash and carry empire snaps up Co-op high street pharmacies" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  3. ^ Times, The Sunday. "Rich List 2020: profiles 21-50, featuring Salma Hayek and Sir Richard Branson". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  4. ^ "The Sunday Times Rich List 2021". Asian Voice. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Wright, John (5 January 2020). "Billionaire Sir Anwar Pervez: 'In the Eighties market crash, I only lost a million pounds'". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  6. ^ a b c Midgley, Dominic (21 July 2014). "Anwar Pervez: The Billionaire cash and carry King". Express. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  7. ^ Rehman, Atika (5 October 2019). "Sir Anwar Pervez: from driving buses to billion-dollar conglomerate". DAWN.COM.
  8. ^ "Corporate Heritage :: Bestway Group". www.bestwaygroup.co.uk.
  9. ^ Bounds, Andrew; Barrett, Claer (18 July 2014). "Cash-and-carry group Bestway to buy Co-op pharmacies for £620m". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  10. ^ Ralph, Kathryn Hopkins, Alex. "Bestway tycoon Sir Anwar Pervez to buy Co op pharmacies". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 19 January 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Bestway's Pervez steps back as son joins board". Thegrocer.co.uk. 17 July 2004. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  12. ^ a b Midgley, Dominic (21 July 2014). "Anwar Pervez: The Billionaire cash and carry King". Daily Express. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  13. ^ "No. 52952". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 1992. p. 11. (United Kingdom)
  14. ^ "Honours and Awards". London Gazette. 14 September 1999. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  15. ^ "Sir Mohammed Anwar Pervez".