Working with the Bestway Foundation, the Wholesale arm is collecting funds through depot collections and JustGiving.com.  The Foundation intends to work closely with world charities on the ground and deliver aid to those that need it the most through its support networks in Pakistan.

Bestway Group, the country’s leading foreign investor, has announced financial and material support to the people of Pakistan of US$1.0 Million. The Group currently owns the United Bank Limited, the second largest private bank in Pakistan, and Bestway Cement, the second largest cement manufacturer in Pakistan.

Dawood Pervez, Managing Director for Bestway Wholesale – whose father Sir Anwar Pervez, Founder and Chairman of the Bestway Group, was born in Pakistan, says: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and destruction that has been caused by this terrible flooding across Pakistan.

“As a company which has retained its heritage and links to Pakistan to this day, we want to do all we can to support the recovery efforts and help those that need help the most.  We know how desperate the situation is right now before disease and further suffering sets in.

“With the significant investment already been made by Bestway Group, allows us to actively provide immediate relief; and by working in partnership with local businesses and financial institutions we are putting in place long term sustainable measures so that we can rehabilitate the masses effected by this national tragedy”.

“We are now appealing to all our supply partners, friends, customers and colleagues to join with us and support this cause to help the people of Pakistan”.

It is estimated that the death toll in Pakistan has exceeded 1,000 since the monsoon rains began but hundreds of thousands more people have been left without homes or shelter, and many without food.  The figures continue to rise daily.

Pervez continues: “We know Pakistan is already reeling from economic and political crises and for months the country has been suffering from double-digit inflation, driven by soaring food and fuel prices.

“Our Bestway Foundation is well-placed to support and help with this crisis – to date we have raised nearly £40m for charities across Pakistan and Europe and we are doing all we can, to ensure funds can be deployed swiftly to get aid to those who desperately need it.”

As part of its ongoing commitments, Bestway Group has to-date donated in excess of US$ 22.0 million to the health and education sectors in Pakistan. During the recent COVID pandemic the Group donated substantial sums to aid the relief activities.

For those wishing to donate to the Bestway Foundation fund-raising, please go to https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bestwayfoundationpakistanfloodrelief?utm_term=Wg62834pk

The post Bestway Wholesale raises funds to help Pakistan first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

In an exclusive interview in the forthcoming Neighbourhood Retailer yearbook, Bestway Wholesale MD Dawood Pervez says the number of Costcutter retailers in Northern Ireland stands at 110 but he is keen to attract back the retailers who have left in recent years. Some had moved away from Costcutter after wholesale chain Palmer & Harvey went under.

“We have ambition to get them back again,” he pledged.

“The Northern Ireland market has probably the best convenience stores in the UK and Northern Ireland full stop. We’ve got some amazing retailers, like Craigs in Derry or the Moutrays in Lurgan and you’ve also got Sean Clarke in Limavady. He’s a pretty special retailer in an amazing location – a big site and an amazing customer offer, really inspirational.

“We have no physical warehouse or distribution presence in Northern Ireland at this time. There’s a lot of uncertainty over what’s going to happen in that marketplace but it’s a good location. 

“It’s a good market for independent retailers where you haven’t seen the same level of encroachment from multiple retailers, probably partly because the population density spread is different and also because they only got round to it later on and by then all the key locations and the key sites had already gone to independent family owned businesses which is obviously fantastic. Long may that continue and I think it will.”

Dawood is keen to see Costcutter grow in Northern Ireland but is cautious about keeping that growth sustainable.

“We’re a very ambitious business. We exist purely so that we can serve independent retailers – we ourselves come from an independent retail background, we know what independent retailers need, we know what they want. Our purpose is to fulfil that and in doing so, ensure that we also have a good business,” he says.

“The only way this sector works is you’ve got to grow, and have that ambition to grow, and of course the desire to grow…. We’re watching Northern Ireland very, very carefully, trying to understand what’s the best way for us to do so but you can be fully assured that our intention is to do so.

“However, we’re very focused on keeping our existing customers happy and satisfied. There are opportunities for us to grow our business to some extent but we have to do it sustainably – you can’t just go out and do it in an irrational manner.

“So there is an opportunity for us to add say 10% to our existing store count, but I’m looking at it more strategically to understand how we can address the market better.”

Full interview with Bestway Wholesale MD Dawood Pervez in forthcoming Neighbourhood Retailer yearbook.

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£37.9m EBITDA for the financial year ending in 2020 – an increase of 81.8% from £20.8m for the same period ending in 2019

Bestway Wholesale group includes Bestway Wholesale Limited, Bestway Northern Limited, Bestway Property Limited, MAP Limited and Bestway Retail Limited.

Despite market conditions in the wholesale sector remaining challenging in the financial year to end June 2020 with the catering sector being impacted heavily in the last quarter by Covid, Bestway Wholesale has returned strong financial results with increased revenues and profitability.

Commenting on the financial performance of Bestway Wholesale, within the broader Bestway Group, Managing Director, Dawood Pervez emphasised that during this year the Bestway Team have remained focussed on the integration of Bestway Retail into the business and delivering the associated scale benefits.  He says:

“It’s all about the customer, and meeting their needs.

“The year to end June 2020 saw new challenges with pressure from the grocery sector continuing with major supermarkets such as Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsburys entering the wholesale market.

“As a sector, we also had to absorb the continued impact of the National Living Wage as well as the additional costs and associated uncertainty surrounding the Pandemic and Brexit.

“Our commitment to delivering improved service and convenience to customers proved to be the right approach.  The continued focus and investment in the supply chain (and the business as a whole), has helped us offer better service levels alongside a growing emphasis on our online and digital strategies, which have been a catalyst in meeting the needs and changing behaviours of both our customers and the end consumer.

“Throughout the onset of Covid in 2020, we moved with agility and spent significant time and resource in ensuring all sites were robust from a health and safety perspective.  This was a key priority to ensure protection for both our team here at Bestway, and our customers – whether in depot or for delivered services.

“We continued to improve and manage availability of products during this period which resulted positively on sales and during the year we continued to help our customers increase their margins and profitability. We have also continued to champion the interests of independent retailers – as has been our heritage for 45 years now.”

“Importantly, I would like to thank everyone in the Bestway Wholesale team for their exceptional and extraordinary commitment over this incredibly challenging year, which has made these results possible”.

In early 2021, Bestway Wholesale successfully acquired the Costcutter Supermarkets Group (CSG) enhancing its retail proposition by a further C1,500 stores.  Bestway Wholesale is now looking to integrate Costcutter alongside Bestway Retail.

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Launched over 15 years ago as part of Bestway Wholesale, Bestpets has a range of over 8,500 lines covering dry dog food to frozen dog food to grooming accessories across own label which is exclusive to Bestpets, as well as including products from all of the leading brands.

Dawood Pervez, Managing Director of Bestway Wholesale, said “For Bestpets to be voted the number one wholesaler at the Retailer Recommended Awards three years’ running is something we are hugely proud of. The last year has been difficult and the Bestpets team has worked non-stop with suppliers to ensure the best possible product availability for our customers.

Our 17 nationwide depot teams have worked tirelessly to make sure deliveries were met as promised, and our doors remained open for all customers.  We have certainly played a key role in keeping the nation’s pets fed and cared for during the Pandemic, and it’s fantastic that the Bestpets’ team has been recognised in this way”.

Adam Moore, Category Controller at Bestpets added, “We should be especially proud of winning this award as it is voted for by retailers and shows the support that we have from our very own customers.”

Bestpets is expanding its own label accessories range with exciting new price-marked-pack toys for cats and dogs, alongside new toys for birds.  All new products can be found on the website www.best-pets.co.uk/trade/what-is-new or on the New Products carousel on the industry leading shopping app.

As part of its continued commitment to offer its customers the best possible service, Bestpets has invested in brand new freezer units for its depots and trucks.  For customers who have always been cautious about having frozen food delivered, its on-board lorry freezer units mean they can easily deliver depot to store.

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