Naresh Bhawnani
Title: Founder and Chairman
Company: West Zone Group
Sector: Retail
Arabian Business -
Established in 2005, West Zone Group has grown from a single store into a retail conglomerate with over 125 retail outlets, of which 100 are supermarkets.
Bhawnani arrived in the UAE in the late 1980s and quickly became immersed in the country’s fast-growing retail and hospitality sectors.
Always looking for expansion opportunities, he diversified into the hotel sector with the launch of the West Zone Plaza Hotel Apartments LLC in Bur Dubai and has added food outlets to the company’s portfolio.
Press Reader -
Happier Employees Make Happy Customers
Naresh Kumar Bhawnani, Founder and Chairman of the West Zone Group talks about his early vision for the company and how it’s developed.
Excelling at retail business, increasing our customers’ happiness and enhancing their shopping experience—we are all set to bring out the best in the supermarket experience and revolutionize our agenda. We hope to enhance the ease and comfort in which our customers can shop with us, thereby driving an incredible customer experience that can support our ambition to enter the global market very soon
Forbes Middle East -
Naresh Bhawnani opened his first supermarket in 2005, and over the last 15 years the West Zone Group has diversified into supermarkets, hypermarkets, logistics, shopping malls, real estate, construction, technology, hospitality, and F&B in the U.A.E. Supermarkets and hypermarkets remain at the forefront of the group’s activities, with more than 100 located across the country covering more than 500,000 square feet of retail space. Bhawnani oversees more than 5,000 employees.
Asia One News -
Business runs in the blood of Bhawnani who belongs to a family of entrepreneurs. His father ran a retail business in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh (MP). A young Bhawnani often helped his father and learnt the tricks of the trade from him. Describing his success saga, he reminisces, “Hailing from a middle-class family in Mandsaur, MP, I started my career at the age of 15 in India; the group was established on 2nd December 2004 on U.A.E. National Day in Mirdiff. Since then, West Zone has emerged as a household name, and is best known as one of the UAE’s renowned retail chain, with more than 100 operational stores.” He further adds, “In a span of 15 years, we have successfully diversified and expanded West Zone Group portfolio to include Supermarkets, Hypermarkets, Logistic Facility, Malls, Real-estate, Building Material & Contracting, Technology, Hospitality and F&B. All the stores are inaugurated by my mother Mrs. Radha Bhawnani, my mentor and real strength of the group.”
Bhawnani is grateful to the dedicated efforts of his 4,000+ employees who have played a significant role in the group’s success. He declares with pride, “Today, thousands of consumers shop with us every day and trust West Zone as their first choice.”
OVERCOMING EVERY CHALLENGE LIKE A CHAMPION
It is a widely acknowledged fact that success can be a long and winding road, filled with many obstacles and challenges. Talented leaders like Bhawnani know how to convert challenges into opportunities. He forcefully asserts, “A challenge / competition to me is like oxygen – it drives me to do more. We ensure that we provide maximum benefits to our consumers, by buying directly from the manufacturer to cut additional costs and extend competitive pricing structures to provide value for money.”
Bhawnani has successfully converted every challenge that came his way to an opportunity, and is reaping the sweet fruits of success. Sharing his mantra for success, he elaborates, “I truly believe that West Zone stands out to be one of its kind in retail by looking for all the possible needs of consumers, suppliers and the real assets of the company – our employees. We work with suppliers and producers all over the world to offer great quality, healthy and sustainable products to our customers at affordable prices.”