Sir Mohammed Anwar Pervez, OBE, H Pk, is founder Chairman & Managing Director of Bestway Group. In July 2004, stood down from his role as Managing Director and retained the role of Chairman of the Group. Sir Anwar began his career in food business in 1963 when he opened a mini supermarket in Earls Court, London.
He ventured into the cash & carry business in 1976 and has been responsible for growing Bestway into a 49-warehouse operation (with a combined sales area of over 5 million square feet) in UK and holding over 50,000 different product lines.
Under Sir Anwar the Group has diversified into milling of food staples; cement manufacturing; real estate management and banking.
Sir Anwar is also the Chairman of Batleys Ltd; Bestway Cement Ltd and Deputy Chairman of United Bank Ltd.
He is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Bestway Foundation UK and Patron-in-Chief of Bestway Foundation Pakistan. He is a Charter Member of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme; a Trustee of the Memorial Gates Trust; Specialist Schools Trust and Crimestoppers.
In 1999 Her Majesty the Queen conferred upon him the title of Knight’s Bachelor in recognition of his meritorious services to both crown and country. This is the highest honour for a Pakistani ever in the UK. In 1992 the Queen had bestowed upon him the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
In March 2000, the President of Pakistan rewarded him the “Hilal-e-Pakistan” (H Pk). No other expatriate has the singular distinction of receiving such an eminent recognition whilst living and working in a foreign country.
BESTWAY GROUP:
Bestway is UK’s 2nd largest cash & carry operator in terms of turnover with Group annual turnover in excess of US$ 3.3 billion.
Globally under Sir Anwar’s leadership Bestway Group is the largest overseas Pakistani investors in the country with total investment in excess of US$ 500 million.
It is the 4th largest cement producer in Pakistan. The Group jointly owns Pakistan’s 3rd largest bank. Its global workforce is an impressive 19,500 people spread across the four corners of the globe.
The Group owes much of this to its founder directors and Chairman Sir Mohammed Anwar Pervez, OBE Hpk. A very high standard of ethical values are ingrained in the management philosophy of Sir Anwar. He has great respect and recognition for talent and merit and treats all employees like members of an enlarged family; he believes that the quality of an organisation is determined by the quality of its employees.
The Bestway story began in 1956, when Sir Anwar landed in the UK to further his education and to seek pastures new. In 1963 he established his first mini supermarket in London’s Earls Court. By early seventies he had ten well-provided mini supermarkets in and around West London.
In 1970s Sir Anwar explored the possibility of entering the wholesale market. Better buying terms and the increasing competition from the big supermarkets were his key motivations. In 1976 Sir Anwar opened Bestway’s first depot in Acton, West London. Growth in business led to further expansion, with the flagship of the company Abbey Road, being opened in 1984. Abbey Road not only serves as the Group’s corporate headquarters but is also home to Europe’s largest Cash & Carry facility with a covered area of 242,000 sq. ft.
Over the last three decades guided by Sir Anwar Bestway Group has stood the test of time regardless of the general economic conditions. It has continued to expand steadily and following the US$ 275 million Batley acquisition in January 2005, boosts an impressive 49-branch network spread across the UK and providing employment to over 5,000 people.
Over the years Bestway has diversified into other business like rice milling through its milling facilities in UK and Pakistan. The Bestway brand of White Pearl Rice is the largest Pakistan rice brand in Europe.
In October 2000, Bestway acquired Euroimpex. The company specialises in the import and wholesale distribution of quality beverages from all over the world. Euroimpex serve’s a rapidly growing clientele of prestigious health resorts, hotels and restaurants throughout the UK.
The Group also boosts an impressive US$ 375 million property portfolio comprising commercial and residential properties, managed by Palmbest. Palmbest’s blue chip clients include McDonalds, Vodafone, NatWest Bank, Sainsubry etc.
Bestway has also invested heavily in providing its customers value added services. As part of this the Group has launched its own label products – ‘Best-in’ and has rolled out various customer development programs under its own symbol group ‘Best-One’. Best-One provides advisory, marketing and merchandising services to customers. To complement these initiatives the Group has recently launched a distribution service – Bestway Direct designed to manage the ordering process more efficiently, providing essential time saving for the busy retailer.
In 1994 Bestway Cement was set up in Hattar, NWFP, Pakistan with total investment to date of US$ 140 million. Bestway is the 4th largest domestic cement producer and the largest exporter of cement to Afghanistan. In April 2005, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shaukat Aziz performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the Group’s second cement at Chakwal, Punjab. Bestway’s second cement plant will have a capacity of 1.8 million tpa at the cost of US$ 140 million.
In October 2002 Bestway Group along with Abu Dhabi Group successfully bid for a controlling share in United Bank Limited (UBL). This was a total investment of US$210 million in Pakistan’s 4th largest bank. Today, UBL is Pakistan’s 3rd largest bank with assets under management in excess of US$ 4.5 billion. The bank has a global presence with over 1,000 branches and providing employment to over 14,500 people.
