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Bestway's Zameer Choudrey relates success story
Sunday, 18 July, 2010 09:29:36 AM
Bestway Cash and Carry is the second largest operator of its kind in Britain which was launched in 1963 by Sir Anwar Pervez in a small shop. Today his business has not only spread through out Britain but also in Pakistan. He is an archetype for the Pakistani community of UK and elsewhere in the world. It is under his guidance that 52 Cash and Carry outlets of Bestway group run across Britain. Some five thousand people are working at these outlets in Britain alone. The British Government has awarded him Order of the British Empire and knighthood while Pakistan government adorned him with Hilal-e-Pakistan. Chief Executive of Bestway Group Zameer Choudrey is the nephew of Sir Anwar Pervez. He is Chartered Accountant by profession and a graduate from University of Canterbury. He joined Bestway group in 1984 as Financial Advisor and was appointed as the Chief executive of the company in 2004 in recognition of his services. Bestway is ranked seventeenth among private companies of UK. It has made flourishing business in Pakistan in cement sector and assumed as the second largest cement production unit in the country. Bestway group’s United Bank Limited is the third largest bank in Pakistan. The Asians team talked to him about ups and down of Bestway group.
The Asians: Would you please tell us about your early life?
Zameer Choudrey: My father is the elder brother of Sir Anwar Pervez. I came here at the age of 12 years. After obtaining primary education, I graduated in Accountancy from University of Kent where after I received regular training of Chartered Accountant and joined Bestway group in 1984. My father and Sir Anwar Pervez are two brothers and five sisters. We are also two brothers and five sisters. I am married and have two children. My wife Rakhshanda is a housewife. My elder son Haider has graduated from Cambridge after getting education at Eton College. The younger son Umair is studying at Nottingham College.
The Asians: How was Cash and Carry started?
Zameer Choudrey: My uncle Anwar Pervez started a small superstore by the name of Kashmir store in 1963. He opened another shop in 1971 and the same year he had been owning several shops all over London but the wholesalers were not giving us the desired service. At that time wholesalers’ mark up was 10 to 12 percent whereas Pervez started his first Cash and Carry warehouse in 1976 at a margin far less compared to others in the business and now we own 56 wholesale units in the country with lesser number of shops as our customers don’t like retail and wholesale business going together since it affects retail competition. Presently 4500 workers are working with us while the number of staff in our overseas business is over 15000.
The Asians: What is the difference between Bestway Cash and Carry and retail shops?
Zameer Choudrey: Our Cash and Carry is only for trade customers whereas any shopper can make purchases at High Street shops. Only shopkeepers could procure merchandise from us and they are more than one hundred thousand, most of them are Englishmen.
The Asians: What do you import from Pakistan besides rice?
Zameer Choudrey: Some spices and pulses but in small quantities. Our 99% items are made in Britain. We also export some rice from India. Some items are also imported from Western Europe. Presently 30 thousand tons of rice is imported by European Union annually from Pakistan, of which our share is 7 thousand tons.
The Asians: You are running Bestway group very efficiently. What difference you feel between business atmospheres of Pakistan and Britain?
Zameer Choudrey: It all depends on you as opportunities exist in both countries.
The Asians: What was the market position of Bestway group at the time you joined it?
Zameer Choudrey: When I joined Bestway it had three Cash and Carry outlets. But we opened two more outlets by December that year and now we have 56 of them.
The Asians: Did you experience any difficulty in business for being an Asian?
Zameer Choudrey: Never, instead everyone tried to help us as we worked very hard.
The Asians: Which of the items is sold the most at Cash and Carry?
Zameer Choudrey: Basically we are wholesalers and have 22 product lines. All items including spices, rice, pulses, soft drinks and grocery are in big demand.
The Asians: What about your competitors?
Zameer Choudrey: They are many but the main competitor is Booker Cash and Carry. It is number one and we are number 2. Some Indians are also in this business.
The Asians: How does Cash and Carry work and what is the number of its work force?
Zameer Choudrey: We run all our outlets under a combined network system. Our work force numbers five thousand in Britain, of which 30% are Asians and the rest Englishmen. Our turnover is £2.1b. Our board comprises seven members who supervise different sections while Sir Anwar heads the board as Chairman.
The Asians: Did the recession cast any impact on Bestway business?
Zameer Choudrey: It made little difference last year but this year we are experiencing some depression. Till last December our sales were going up and are still up but with a slower pace.
The Asians: How would the Britain’s coalition government fare with the businesses?
Zameer Choudrey: The Conservatives policies are pro business when you compare them with Labour’s. Labour government’s spending had exceeded the exchequer balance. The present government had been left with two options. Either it should continue borrowing or cut budget spending. It chose budget cuts to control extravagant expenditure.
The Asians: Bestway group has made big investments in Pakistan. What is the basic purpose of this step?
Zameer Choudrey: Pakistan is also our country and we want to contribute our share in its development and success. We have completed two big projects in February and March this year. Basically we have three projects in Pakistan. Our four modern cement plants are in operation with annual output of 6 million tons. The Bestway Cement has set up a 15 MW rebate recovery power plant at Chakwal to reduce Grip Global Carbon footprint for a pollution free environment. We are number two in cement production in Pakistan. United National Bank is the third largest bank of the country whose 55% shares are with us and around 15500 staff are working in different bank branches all over the country while 2500 workers are engaged in our cement plants. We also have a rice mill in Hafizabad.
The Asians: Have you ever been apprehensive of visiting Pakistan in the wake of security situation there?
Zameer Choudrey: Not at all. We move freely there and nobody has ever harassed us.
The Asians: How did you come to Banking?
Zameer Choudrey: We are businessmen and can venture in any business that attracts us, we thought banking a good business. When we bought the bank it was running in loss and dragged on bail out package but last year we earned Rs.14b. We pay tax to the government. At the time we purchased the bank, 12000 staff were on the bank's payroll which by now have increased to 15500.
The Asians: Certain quarters say that Musharraf government had its hands behind Bestway’s progress. How far it is true?
Zameer Choudrey: It is quite wrong to say that Pervez Musharraf had supported us. The fact remains that it was in 1990 when we started importing rice from Pakistan. In 1992 when we purchased rice mill Nawaz Sharif was in power. When we started cement business Benazir had returned to power and by the time the project completed Nawaz Sharif had staged a comeback. What I want to explain is that from Benazir to Pervez Musharraf we have worked with all governments and are now working with the present one.
The Asians: The bilateral trade volume between Britain and Pakistan is over £1b. How this volume could be increased?
Zameer Choudrey: In my opinion small industries, textile, leather and IT offer good scope of trade expansion. Agriculture sector also offers promising opportunities. Fruit, vegetable and cereals could be imported from Pakistan. Here almost all fruit come from Kenya. Once it was only mango that was being imported from Pakistan but now Kino and guava are also on our import list. With the improvement in logistics we can import more fruit varieties from Pakistan. Quality furniture is also another item that could be imported from Pakistan.
The Asians: Your group has also formed Bestway Foundation. What services the foundation is providing?
Zameer Choudrey : The board decided to set up Bestway Foundation charity in 1987 and contribute 2.5% of our profit to fund it. The foundation was also set up in Pakistan in 1997. The funding is spent on education, disaster relief and poverty eradication. We have been giving six scholarships for LUMS since 1990. They have set up another technical college for which we have contributed Rs 25m. We have also contributed Rs 25m to Taxila University Chakwal while £1m was provided to Pakistan government for earthquake disaster relief. Over 300 poor students are being paid Rs 1000 each as scholarship and stipend. We also help in building schools around our factories and contribute towards school uniforms and books. Other charity works included helping poor widows, orphans as well as construction of mosques, dispensaries and schools. We have also adopted 29 government schools in the areas where our plants are located. Once we had been paying Salaries to 90 teachers. We award scholarships to Pakistani students in the UK. Bedsides we also support universities, cancer and other charities. We have been supporting Prince Charity for the last 20 years. We especially support the schools in the areas where our warehouses are located and give IT grants. Besides, students also come to us for internships.
The Asians: Did government ever recognise your charity work?
Zameer Choudrey: The government has awarded OBE and knighthood to Sir Anwar Pervez while the government of Pakistan has given Hill-e-Pakistan award for his community services.
The Asians: To whom you give credit for the success of such a big Cash and Carry group?
Zameer Choudrey: The credit goes to Sir Anwar Pervez and my parents.
The Asian: What do you do when not doing business?
Zameer Choudrey: I am a sportsman and love to play football, cricket and badminton.
The Asians: What advice would you like to give to young businessmen?
Zameer Choudrey: They should not avoid hard work as only through this they could succeed in any business.
The Asians: Would you please tell us about your early life?
Zameer Choudrey: My father is the elder brother of Sir Anwar Pervez. I came here at the age of 12 years. After obtaining primary education, I graduated in Accountancy from University of Kent where after I received regular training of Chartered Accountant and joined Bestway group in 1984. My father and Sir Anwar Pervez are two brothers and five sisters. We are also two brothers and five sisters. I am married and have two children. My wife Rakhshanda is a housewife. My elder son Haider has graduated from Cambridge after getting education at Eton College. The younger son Umair is studying at Nottingham College.
The Asians: How was Cash and Carry started?
Zameer Choudrey: My uncle Anwar Pervez started a small superstore by the name of Kashmir store in 1963. He opened another shop in 1971 and the same year he had been owning several shops all over London but the wholesalers were not giving us the desired service. At that time wholesalers’ mark up was 10 to 12 percent whereas Pervez started his first Cash and Carry warehouse in 1976 at a margin far less compared to others in the business and now we own 56 wholesale units in the country with lesser number of shops as our customers don’t like retail and wholesale business going together since it affects retail competition. Presently 4500 workers are working with us while the number of staff in our overseas business is over 15000.
The Asians: What is the difference between Bestway Cash and Carry and retail shops?
Zameer Choudrey: Our Cash and Carry is only for trade customers whereas any shopper can make purchases at High Street shops. Only shopkeepers could procure merchandise from us and they are more than one hundred thousand, most of them are Englishmen.
The Asians: What do you import from Pakistan besides rice?
Zameer Choudrey: Some spices and pulses but in small quantities. Our 99% items are made in Britain. We also export some rice from India. Some items are also imported from Western Europe. Presently 30 thousand tons of rice is imported by European Union annually from Pakistan, of which our share is 7 thousand tons.
The Asians: You are running Bestway group very efficiently. What difference you feel between business atmospheres of Pakistan and Britain?
Zameer Choudrey: It all depends on you as opportunities exist in both countries.
The Asians: What was the market position of Bestway group at the time you joined it?
Zameer Choudrey: When I joined Bestway it had three Cash and Carry outlets. But we opened two more outlets by December that year and now we have 56 of them.
The Asians: Did you experience any difficulty in business for being an Asian?
Zameer Choudrey: Never, instead everyone tried to help us as we worked very hard.
The Asians: Which of the items is sold the most at Cash and Carry?
Zameer Choudrey: Basically we are wholesalers and have 22 product lines. All items including spices, rice, pulses, soft drinks and grocery are in big demand.
The Asians: What about your competitors?
Zameer Choudrey: They are many but the main competitor is Booker Cash and Carry. It is number one and we are number 2. Some Indians are also in this business.
The Asians: How does Cash and Carry work and what is the number of its work force?
Zameer Choudrey: We run all our outlets under a combined network system. Our work force numbers five thousand in Britain, of which 30% are Asians and the rest Englishmen. Our turnover is £2.1b. Our board comprises seven members who supervise different sections while Sir Anwar heads the board as Chairman.
The Asians: Did the recession cast any impact on Bestway business?
Zameer Choudrey: It made little difference last year but this year we are experiencing some depression. Till last December our sales were going up and are still up but with a slower pace.
The Asians: How would the Britain’s coalition government fare with the businesses?
Zameer Choudrey: The Conservatives policies are pro business when you compare them with Labour’s. Labour government’s spending had exceeded the exchequer balance. The present government had been left with two options. Either it should continue borrowing or cut budget spending. It chose budget cuts to control extravagant expenditure.
The Asians: Bestway group has made big investments in Pakistan. What is the basic purpose of this step?
Zameer Choudrey: Pakistan is also our country and we want to contribute our share in its development and success. We have completed two big projects in February and March this year. Basically we have three projects in Pakistan. Our four modern cement plants are in operation with annual output of 6 million tons. The Bestway Cement has set up a 15 MW rebate recovery power plant at Chakwal to reduce Grip Global Carbon footprint for a pollution free environment. We are number two in cement production in Pakistan. United National Bank is the third largest bank of the country whose 55% shares are with us and around 15500 staff are working in different bank branches all over the country while 2500 workers are engaged in our cement plants. We also have a rice mill in Hafizabad.
The Asians: Have you ever been apprehensive of visiting Pakistan in the wake of security situation there?
Zameer Choudrey: Not at all. We move freely there and nobody has ever harassed us.
The Asians: How did you come to Banking?
Zameer Choudrey: We are businessmen and can venture in any business that attracts us, we thought banking a good business. When we bought the bank it was running in loss and dragged on bail out package but last year we earned Rs.14b. We pay tax to the government. At the time we purchased the bank, 12000 staff were on the bank's payroll which by now have increased to 15500.
The Asians: Certain quarters say that Musharraf government had its hands behind Bestway’s progress. How far it is true?
Zameer Choudrey: It is quite wrong to say that Pervez Musharraf had supported us. The fact remains that it was in 1990 when we started importing rice from Pakistan. In 1992 when we purchased rice mill Nawaz Sharif was in power. When we started cement business Benazir had returned to power and by the time the project completed Nawaz Sharif had staged a comeback. What I want to explain is that from Benazir to Pervez Musharraf we have worked with all governments and are now working with the present one.
The Asians: The bilateral trade volume between Britain and Pakistan is over £1b. How this volume could be increased?
Zameer Choudrey: In my opinion small industries, textile, leather and IT offer good scope of trade expansion. Agriculture sector also offers promising opportunities. Fruit, vegetable and cereals could be imported from Pakistan. Here almost all fruit come from Kenya. Once it was only mango that was being imported from Pakistan but now Kino and guava are also on our import list. With the improvement in logistics we can import more fruit varieties from Pakistan. Quality furniture is also another item that could be imported from Pakistan.
The Asians: Your group has also formed Bestway Foundation. What services the foundation is providing?
Zameer Choudrey : The board decided to set up Bestway Foundation charity in 1987 and contribute 2.5% of our profit to fund it. The foundation was also set up in Pakistan in 1997. The funding is spent on education, disaster relief and poverty eradication. We have been giving six scholarships for LUMS since 1990. They have set up another technical college for which we have contributed Rs 25m. We have also contributed Rs 25m to Taxila University Chakwal while £1m was provided to Pakistan government for earthquake disaster relief. Over 300 poor students are being paid Rs 1000 each as scholarship and stipend. We also help in building schools around our factories and contribute towards school uniforms and books. Other charity works included helping poor widows, orphans as well as construction of mosques, dispensaries and schools. We have also adopted 29 government schools in the areas where our plants are located. Once we had been paying Salaries to 90 teachers. We award scholarships to Pakistani students in the UK. Bedsides we also support universities, cancer and other charities. We have been supporting Prince Charity for the last 20 years. We especially support the schools in the areas where our warehouses are located and give IT grants. Besides, students also come to us for internships.
The Asians: Did government ever recognise your charity work?
Zameer Choudrey: The government has awarded OBE and knighthood to Sir Anwar Pervez while the government of Pakistan has given Hill-e-Pakistan award for his community services.
The Asians: To whom you give credit for the success of such a big Cash and Carry group?
Zameer Choudrey: The credit goes to Sir Anwar Pervez and my parents.
The Asian: What do you do when not doing business?
Zameer Choudrey: I am a sportsman and love to play football, cricket and badminton.
The Asians: What advice would you like to give to young businessmen?
Zameer Choudrey: They should not avoid hard work as only through this they could succeed in any business.
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