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Anwar Pervez
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 lifeMohammed 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] CareerHis 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[update] 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 lifeHe 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] HonoursPervez 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 alsoReferences
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