Tuesday 23rd February 2016

Bestway Group Chief Executive, Zameer Choudrey receives CBE from Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales

Mr Zameer Choudrey officially received his investiture as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Friday 19th February from His Royal Highness Prince Charles.

Mr Choudrey was awarded his CBE as part of the Queen’s New Year 2016 Honours List in recognition of his contributions to advancing Britain through his services to the UK Wholesale industry and the wide array of philanthropic work he passionately engages in both in the UK and abroad.

Delighted by his inauguration, Mr Choudrey said “I cannot begin to express how honoured I am to have been included by the Queen in her New Year’s Honours List and to receive this recognition from His Royal Highness Prince Charles.

“At Bestway, we strive to support a wide cross section of UK businesses and citizens – whether that be by providing healthcare and medicines though our Well Pharmacy division; providing daily support to our thousands of local shopkeepers and caterers through our Wholesale business; or providing charitable and social care support to those in need through Bestway Foundation and its charitable work - we aim to be at the heart of the communities we serve.”

During his tenure as Chief Executive of the Group, Mr Choudrey has led the group to invest almost £300m into the UK wholesale and retail sectors. He has overseen the takeovers of Batleys, Martex, Bellevue and most recently Sher Brothers in addition to establishing a greater footprint for Bestway in England and Scotland. His latest acquisition of Co-op Pharmacy - the UK’s third largest retail pharmacy group which has since been rebranded to Well Pharmacy - was finalised in a deal worth £620m in October 2014 and has set the company on yet another pathway to growth.

Founded by Sir Anwar Pervez OBE HPk, the Bestway Group is the UK’s seventh largest family owned entity, with businesses in multiple sectors both in the UK and abroad. It includes the UK’s second largest independent wholesaler serving 125,000 independent retailers and caterers from 64 warehouses nationwide, with over 6 million square feet of selling space offering a product range of over 25,000 items.

Bestway has built up a successful global business over 50 years by investing in and connecting with the communities it serves. The philanthropic arm of the group, the Bestway Foundation, established in 1987, annually donates 2.5 per cent of its post-tax profits to social projects in the countries in which it operates.

The Bestway Foundation has supported many charities at home and abroad including the Imran Khan Cancer Appeal, Barnardos, Crimestoppers, Dyslexia Action and Action for Children, in addition to supporting many natural disaster rehabilitation and relief efforts.

Since its inception, the Foundation has also provided scholarships to over 450 students of South Asian origin to attend universities in the UK, USA and Canada and 4,000 school children in Pakistan now benefit from free education due to the Bestway Foundation’s donations.

Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

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