Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia

Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia (born October 1958)[1] is a London-based Indian businessman and entrepreneur.[2]

Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia
BornOctober 1958 (age 63)
Uganda
NationalityBritish Indian
OccupationBusinessman and Entrepreneur
Known forFounder of Euro Car Parts
Non-Executive Chairman of Dominvs Group
Spouse(s)Rani Ahluwalia
Children3

He is founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Dominvs Group, a real estate, hospitality and asset management company.[3][4] Ahluwalia also is founder and former Executive Chairman of car parts distributor Euro Car Parts.[5]

Ahluwalia is also founder and significant shareholder of VAR Capital, an independent wealth management company based in London.[2]

Early life

Born in Uganda, Ahluwalia’s parents emigrated to the UK when Ahluwalia was 13 years old to escape persecution under Idi Amin in 1972.[6] When they arrived in the UK, the family spent a year in temporary shared accommodation.[6][7]

As a teenager, Ahluwalia spent time in the markets of Petticoat Lane and Liverpool Street.[6]

Career

Euro Car Parts

Ahluwalia founded Euro Car Parts in 1978 after borrowing £5,000 from his father and bank loan to buy a car parts shop in Willesden, London.[6] The shop, originally called Highway Autos, was renamed Euro Car Parts a year later.[6]

In 1981, Ahluwalia opened a second branch of the company in the Willesden area. The company originally supplied car parts for BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and VW vehicles. The company expanded to become the leading suppliers of parts, paints and equipment for cars and light commercial vehicles in the UK.[8]

By 2011, Euro Car Parts employed 3,500 people across 89 locations.[7] In October 2011, Ahluwalia sold Euro Car Parts to LKQ Corporation for £280 million, with a supplementary £55 million if targets were met.[9][10][5] After the sale, Ahluwalia became Executive Chairman of LKQ Corporation's businesses in the UK, Ireland and India,[11] but stepped down from the board in December 2018.[12]

As of 2018, Euro Car Parts company has more than 200 branches across the UK and employs more than 9,000 people.[13][14]

Dominvs Group

In 2011, Ahluwalia founded property company Dominvs Group. The Group manages a real estate portfolio of hotel, commercial, and residential property exceeding £1 billion and employs around 500 people across its head office and hotels.[15][16][17]

Dominvs Group has 12 hotels operational and under development across the UK. It has acquired or constructed a number of UK hotels, including The Holiday Inn Manchester City Centre, Mercure Sheffield Parkway Hotel, The Holiday Inn Darlington, The Holiday Inn Dumfries, Ralph Allen Building in Bath, Holiday Inn Express Aberdeen Airport and the Crowne Plaza Aberdeen Airport.

The Group also owns and operates Courtyard By Marriott, Oxford and The Dixon at Tower Bridge, London.[18][19][20][21]

In 2016, Ahluwalia invested in e-waste processing company EcoCentric Management based in Mumbai, India.[22] In 2017, Ahluwalia invested in truck and trailer part distributor Digraph Transport Supplies.[22]

In 2019, Dominvs acquired Arbor City Hotel in London.[23] The group is constructing a new 150,000-sq-ft hotel on the site of the former Dutch Embassy in Battersea, London, and has acquired Citicape House in Holborn, London.[24][25]

In 2019, Dominvs Group launched a jet brokerage and chartering division called Dominvs Aviation.[17]

In 2020, Dominvs Group acquired a stake in Italian restaurant chain Vapiano.[26]

Philanthropy

In 2019, Ahluwalia founded the Ahluwalia Family Foundation, which supports causes children and women's rights, homelessness, immigration, and entrepreneurship causes in the UK and India.[2][17]

Ahluwalia and his family has supported projects to help the homeless in London and provide education to children in India.[7] In 2019, the Ahluwalia family supported the publication of a report into migrant entrepreneurship in the UK, which called for immigration and visa reform.[27] He has said that "immigration is critical to the success of the UK."[28]

He is a supporter of the Migration Museum.[29][30]

Personal life

He is married to Rani Ahluwalia and they have three sons who are also involved in the businesses.[31]

As of May 2018, Ahluwalia is the fourth richest refugee in the UK.[32] According to The Sunday Times Rich List 2019, the Ahluwalia family have a net worth of £500 million.[33]

Ahluwalia plans to move to India in the future.[7][17]

References
  1. "Sukhpal AHLUWALIA - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  2. "Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia's official profile on The Marque".
  3. "UK Indian billionaires". The Financial Express. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  4. "Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia — Official Biography". The Entrepreneurs Network. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  5. Osborne, Alistair (2011-10-05). "Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia sells Euro Car Parts for £225m after starting it with £5,000". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  6. Osborne, Alistair (2014-04-21). "Asian entrepreneur moves on from the Euro Car Parts group he founded". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  7. Kirby, Arthur. "How a refugee created 3,500 jobs in Britain". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  8. "Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia sells Euro Car Parts for £225m after starting it with £5,000". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  9. "LKQ Corporation Appoints Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia To Its Board Of Directors". investor.lkqcorp.com. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  10. "Euro Car Parts sold to LKQ for £225m". Financial Times. 4 October 2011. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  11. "LKQ Corporation Announces Director Resignation". investor.lkqcorp.com. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  12. "Jobs axe hangs over car parts distributor as top team quits".
  13. "» Branch network | Euro Car Parts". Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  14. Media, Insider. "Turnover passes £1bn at Euro Car Parts". Insider Media Ltd. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  15. "Dominvs Group". Dominvs Group. Retrieved 2020-09-02.
  16. "Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia: Man of many parts EGi". EGi. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  17. Salter, Philip. "Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia: From Refugee To One Of The UK's Most Successful Entrepreneurs". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  18. "Dominvs Group to develop Courtyard by Marriott in Oxford". The Caterer. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  19. Ltd, Insider Media. "Dominvs buys Bath property". Insider Media Ltd. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  20. "Holiday Inn Express opens Aberdeen airport hotel - Business Traveller – The leading magazine for frequent flyers". Business Traveller – The leading magazine for frequent flyers. 2015-05-08. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  21. "Dixon hotel to open next year". The Caterer. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  22. "Dominvs Group | Real Estate & Private Equity". Dominvs Group | Real Estate & Private Equity. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  23. "Dominvs Group acquires Arbor City Hotel | Dominvs Group | Real Estate & Private Equity". Dominvs Group | Real Estate & Private Equity. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  24. Midolo2019-06-27T23:00:00, Emanuele. "Dominvs buys embassy site". Property Week. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  25. "Dominvs acquires EC1 site with hotel planning permission". www.caterlyst.com. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  26. Hanson, Eloise (14 August 2020). "Cairn and Dominvs joint venture takes over UK Vapiano chain - BHN". Boutique Hotel News. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  27. "Biography". The Entrepreneurs Network. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  28. "Foreword". The Entrepreneurs Network. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  29. "Industry must speak up for immigration". Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  30. "Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia". Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  31. "Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia — Official Biography". The Entrepreneurs Network. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  32. List, Robert Watts, Compiler of the Rich (2018-05-06). "Penniless refugees flee war to land on Rich List with £6bn". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0956-1382. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  33. Times, The Sunday (2019-05-12). "Rich List 2019: profiles 251-298=". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
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