Background

Bestway Group is UK’s second largest Cash & Carry

Cash & Carry

Cash & Carry Smart Foodservice is a chain of American warehouse grocery stores located in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Cash & Carry runs 50 stores in April 2008. The company operates 10 stores in California, 2 stores in Idaho, 17 stores in Oregon, and 21 stores in Washington. The...

 operator, and is the second largest cement producer in Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

; and joint owners of Pakistan’s third largest bank; they are the largest overseas Pakistani investor with investments in excess of US$1.0 billion.

History

In 1976 Sir Anwar Pervez established Bestway’s first wholesale warehouse in Acton

Acton

-Australia:*Acton, Australian Capital Territory, suburb of Canberra*Acton, Tasmania, suburb of Burnie, Tasmania*Acton Park, Tasmania, suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, formerly known as Acton-Canada:*Acton, Ontario*Actons Corners, Ontario...

, West London. Within first 18 months of trading Acton had achieved an impressive £12.0 million turnover. Subsequently, two more warehouses were opened in Southall

Southall

Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...

 and Hackney

Hackney

-Places:* London Borough of Hackney, formed in 1965** Metropolitan Borough of Hackney, formed in 1900 and abolished in 1965** Hackney Central** Hackney Central , a political division of the Council** Hackney Central railway station** Hackney College...

 in 1981 and 1983 respectively. The three warehouses had a combined turnover in excess of £95.0 million, by the end of March 1984.

The flagship of the company, Abbey Road was opened in September 1984. It is located in Park Royal

Park Royal

Park Royal is an area in northwest London, UK. It is the largest industrial and business park in London, occupying about , and is promoted commercially by the Park Royal Partnership...

, and continues to be the largest cash and carry warehouse in Europe. The 1990s saw Bestway open warehouse’s in Luton & Lewisham in the South of England; Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester in the North, and Cardiff & Swansea in Wales.

The 25th anniversary year – 2001 saw the opening of nine new warehouses. This continued and focused growth resulted in the Group turnover crossing the prestigious £1.0 billion mark in 2002.

In January 2005 Bestway Group acquired Batley’s Plc; this is the Group’s largest acquisition

Acquisition

Acquisition may refer to:* Takeover, the acquisition of a company* Mergers and acquisitions, strategy of buying and selling of various companies to quickly grow a company...

 to date. Once Bestway’s main rival in Northern England, today it is part of the extended family.

In March 2007, a 33rd depot was opened in Enfield

London Borough of Enfield

The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest...

, North London. As part of Bestway’s continued commitment to Cash & Carry sector, Batley’s announced the establishment of a warehouse in Gillingham, South East of England; the first in five years. This warehouse was opened to customers in October 2007.

In June 2010, Batley's acquired Bellevue Cash & Carry Limited which has two depots in Edinburgh and Stirling. In October 2010, a new depot was opened for trading in Aintree in the North West of England.

In November 2010, Batley’s acquired CJ Lang which has three cash & carry depots in Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth. Bestway now have seven depots in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

.

Locations

As of 2011 The Group has an impressive 61 branch network spread across the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

.

Other wholesale formats

Bestway Direct Limited:
With a keen eye towards the future, in January 2001 the Group launched a food delivery and distribution service – Bestway Direct. In a short span of time the company has created a niche for itself in the sector.

Bestway Catering: Using the experience and knowledge of Batley’s and following successful trials in autumn 2005, new catering departments have been created in fifteen warehouses.

Ethnic Foods Marketing: Given the ever-increasing demand for ethnic foods in the UK and continental Europe, Bestway Group established a specialist ethnic foods marketing company – MAP Trading Ltd (MAP). To complement this, a rice mill was established at Abbey Road.

The company is the UK’s single largest importer of Basmati rice under the brand name of ‘White Pearl’ from Pakistan; it is the best selling Pakistani rice in the UK and Europe. In last few years the ‘White Pearl’ brand has since been extended across other products such as flour, edible oil, lentils, pulses and spices.

Pet Foods: Batley’s has three depots at Exeter, Bristol and Luton that specialise in pet foods. In August 2008, Bestpet’s launched an online ordering facility for customers of its delivered pet food range.

Best-One: Best-One

Best-One

Best-One is a chain of convenience stores based in the UK and Jersey CI. The company has over 600 stores in England. Most stores are owned on a franchise basis and most stock is sourced through Bestway Cash & Carry. The companies flagship store is a 3,000sq ft outlet in East London...

 is another segment of the Bestway group, it is a chain of convenience stores based in the UK and Jersey CI.

Other Businesses

Cement Manufacturing:
The Group set up its first cement plant in 1995 in Hattar in the KP Province of Pakistan, with an initial investment of US$ 120.0 million. The plant’s initial capacity was 0.99 million tonnes per annum, this was enhanced to 1.17 million tonnes per annum at a cost of US$ 10 million in 2002.

Bestway Group expanded its operations by setting up a 1.8 million tonnes per annum cement plant in Chakwal

Chakwal

Chakwal is the capital of Chakwal District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located 90 km south-east of the federal capital, Islamabad and is named after Chaudhry Chaku Khan, chief of the Mair Minhas tribe from Jammu, who founded it in 1525 CE during the era of the Mughal Emperor, Zaheerudun Babur...

, Punjab Province, Pakistan, at a cost of US$ 180.0 million.Civil works for Bestway Chakwal-I were initiated in January 2005, the Kiln was fired in May 2006 and the plant went into production in June 2006.

In May 2006 the Group announced plans for a second 1.8 million tonnes per annum capacity plant adjacent to its existing operations in Chakwal at a cost of US$ 150.0 million.

To augment its presence in the cement industry, Bestway bid for 85.29% equity of Mustehkam Cement Limited. The Company’s bid of approximately US$ 70.0 million was accepted in September 2005. The plant started production in December 2005 just one month after acquisition. In 2010 the production capacity was further enhanced to 1.1 million tonnes per annum at a total cost of US$ 70.0 million.

Over the last few years, Bestway’s cement capacity has increased from 1.1 million tonnes to 6.0 million tonnes per annum; Bestway Cement is the largest exporter of cement to Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

 and India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

Banking: In October 2002 Bestway Group successfully bid for a controlling share in United Bank Limited (UBL). This was a total investment of approximately US$ 210.0 million.

The bank has transformed itself from a loss-making static public sector entity into a profitable dynamic private enterprise. Profit before tax has grown from US$ 48.0 million in December 2002 to US$ 206.5 million in December 2010.

In 2005 for the third consecutive year the CFA Association of Pakistan conferred upon UBL’s Investment Banking Group the ‘Largest Corporate Finance House’ award.

In February 2005 UBL became the first bank in South Asia to launch the EMV enabled credit card. In June 2005 with the launch of ‘UBL Money’ a fixed instalment personal loan product, UBL became the only bank in Pakistan to launch a complete suite of consumer financing products. In August 2005 UBL became the first bank to achieve the ‘Authorised Derivatives Dealer’ status in Pakistan.

As of December 2010 the bank’s asset base had increased to US$ 8.5 billion, with UBL emerging as the second largest private bank in Pakistan.

Today, UBL has over 1,100 branches in Pakistan; a significant presence throughout the Middle East; Subsidiaries in UK and Switzerland; a branch in New York and Representative Offices in Beijing and Kazakhstan.
Philanthropy: In 1987 the Bestway Group established the Bestway Foundation. Every year the Group contributes approximately 2.5% of its profit to the Foundation, which helps support charities and contributes to help the local community. In the last decade Bestway Foundation has invested in 35 inner city schools in as part of the Specialist Schools & Academies Program.

In November 2005 Bestway Group was honoured with the ‘Social Responsibility Award’ at the JP Morgan 2005 Family Business Honours in recognition of demonstrating excellent standards of philanthropy and good citizenship. Then in 2006 HRH the Duke of Edinburgh honoured Bestway Foundation for its contribution towards the success of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards Scheme

The Foundation’s yearly fundraiser event – ‘The Ascot Charity Race Day’ has raised funds for various worthy causes over the years they include: National Hospital Development Fund, Princes Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, Barnardos, President of Pakistan Earthquake Relief Fund, Crimestoppers, Save the Children’s Fund, Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards, SportsAid, Age Concern, Variety Club Children’s Charity; The Macmillan Fund.

In June 2006 the President of Pakistan conferred upon Bestway Foundation ‘Sitra-e-Essar’. The award recognised the contribution in excess of £1.0 million made by the Foundation in aiding the efforts of relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction in aftermath of the October 2005 earthquake. Since its establishment Bestway Group has donated in excess of £ 10.0 million to assist the Foundation in its charitable activities geared towards health and education.

In August 2010 due to the unprecedented devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan, Bestway Foundation and Bestway Group donated Rs. 5.0 million to assist the Government in rehabilitating the affected people.
The core businesses of the group are food wholesale; cement manufacturing; financial services and property development & management .