Bestway Group Chief Executive Zameer Choudrey was officially invested as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Friday 19th February.
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 engages in both in the UK and abroad.
Delighted by his inauguration, 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 – we aim to be at the heart of the communities we serve.”
During his tenure as Chief Executive, 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. The 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.
