Bobby Arora

Bobby was born to an Indian family in January 1972.{{Cite web|title=Bobby ARORA - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)|url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/x5Raiy0672_le_QpBD38_EFN6OE/appointments|access-date=29 November 2020|website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk|language=en}}{{cite book | last=Bloodworth | first=J. | title=Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain | publisher=Atlantic Books | year=2018 | isbn=978-1-78649-015-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z2U6DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT113 | access-date=24 September 2023 | page=113}} His businessman father had immigrated to the UK from Delhi in the 1960s.{{Cite web |last=Winchester |first=Levi |date=28 June 2021 |title=Billionaire B&M brothers worth £2.5bn after dad moved to UK with '£10 in pocket' |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/billionaire-bm-brothers-worth-25bn-24416199 |access-date=24 September 2023 |website=mirror |language=en}}

In 1995, he went into business with his brother Simon Arora, and founded Orient Sourcing Services, importing homewares from Asia and supplying them to UK retail chains, before buying B&M in 2004, which was then a struggling grocery chain based in Blackpool.{{cite web|url=http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/top100entrepreneurs-2015-simon-bobby-arora-bm |title=Simon and Bobby Arora - B&M |publisher=Managementtoday.co.uk |date= |accessdate=3 June 2017}}{{cite web|author=James Ferguson |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/business-news/brothers-on-their-way-to-creating-the-new-woolies-893304 |title=Brothers on their way to creating the new Woolies |publisher=Manchester Evening News |date= 2 July 2010|accessdate=3 June 2017}} He has been trading director of B&M since 2005.

Jointly with his brothers Simon and Robin, they have made £2.1 billion since taking over the Blackpool-based grocery chain in 2004. Their earnings soared during the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web|last1=McCoid|first1=Sophie|last2=Neville|first2=Simon|date=12 November 2020|title=Liverpool billionaire B&M brothers to net £44m windfall|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/liverpool-billionaire-bm-brothers-net-19269261|access-date=29 November 2020|website=Liverpool Echo|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=7 January 2021|title='We like to keep it simple': the rapid rise of B&M's Arora brothers|url=http://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/07/rapid-rise-of-bm-arora-brothers-simon-bobby|access-date=11 February 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en}}

In March 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, gave business rates relief and furlough payments to businesses in the hospitality and retail sectors.{{cite web |last1=Chapman |first1=Ben |title=What support is the government offering to get through the coronavirus pandemic? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/coronavirus-financial-support-government-money-help-rent-bills-a9407776.html |website=The Independent |publisher=Independent Digital News & Media Ltd |access-date=7 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107165919/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/coronavirus-financial-support-government-money-help-rent-bills-a9407776.html |archive-date=7 January 2021 |location=Northcliffe House, London |language=en |date=24 March 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Jahshan |first1=Elias |title=Chancellor extends one-year business rates holiday for all retailers - Retail Gazette |url=https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2020/03/chancellor-extends-one-year-business-rates-holiday-for-all-retailers/ |website=Retail Gazette |access-date=7 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107171347/https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2020/03/chancellor-extends-one-year-business-rates-holiday-for-all-retailers/ |archive-date=7 January 2021 |location=Marylebone |language=en |date=18 March 2020}}

B&M was among several businesses classified as 'essential retailers' and as a result was allowed to remain open when other 'non-essential businesses had to close.{{cite web |last1=Chapman |first1=Ben |title=B&M Bargains boss pays himself £30m after bumper sales during lockdown |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/bm-bargains-simon-arora-dividend-results-b1783823.html |website=The Independent |publisher=Independent Digital News & Media Ltd |access-date=7 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107185005/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/bm-bargains-simon-arora-dividend-results-b1783823.html |archive-date=7 January 2021 |location=Northcliffe House, London |language=en |date=7 January 2021}} In November 2020, B&M and other retailers were subject to a public outcry for having not handed back payments totalling £1.8 billion intended for propping up retailers prevented from trading due to restrictions, despite making record profits.{{cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Zoe |last2=Kollewe |first2=Julia |title=£1.8bn-plus in Covid rates relief to be handed back as B&M joins list |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/dec/03/sainsburys-hands-back-440m-in-covid-business-rates-relief |website=The Guardian |access-date=7 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107171620/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/dec/03/sainsburys-hands-back-440m-in-covid-business-rates-relief |archive-date=7 January 2021 |location=Kings Place, London |language=en |date=3 December 2020}} The retailer declared £296m in profit and as a result issued a £250m special dividend despite having received £38m in business rates relief and £3.7m in furlough payments.{{cite web |last1=Pratley |first1=Nils |title=Treasury messed up over B&M's Covid rates freebie |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/nils-pratley-on-finance/2020/nov/12/treasury-b-and-m-covid-rates-freebie-shops-business-rates-relief |website=The Guardian |access-date=7 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107182628/https://www.theguardian.com/business/nils-pratley-on-finance/2020/nov/12/treasury-b-and-m-covid-rates-freebie-shops-business-rates-relief |archive-date=7 January 2021 |location=Kings Place, London |language=en |date=12 November 2020}} The Arora brothers received a combined total of £37m of the special dividend due to their 15% shareholding which is said to worth at least £750m.{{cite web |last1=Partridge |first1=Joanna |title=Lockdown sales boost at B&M prompts £250m special dividend |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/12/lockdown-sales-boost-at-bm-prompts-250m-special-dividend |website=The Guardian |access-date=7 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107183019/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/12/lockdown-sales-boost-at-bm-prompts-250m-special-dividend |archive-date=7 January 2021 |location=Kings Place, London |language=en |date=12 November 2020}} The firm agreed to pay £80m in business rate relief it had saved, a move mirrored by major supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons.

Simon describes his brother Bobby as a "born trader". Arora lives in Hale Barns near Altrincham, next door to his brother Simon. In May 2023 a helicopter carrying Prime Minister Rishi Sunak landed in Bobby Arora's back garden.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jun/05/sunak-takes-raf-chopper-to-dover-just-over-an-hour-away-by-train|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605115516/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jun/05/sunak-takes-raf-chopper-to-dover-just-over-an-hour-away-by-train|title=Sunak takes RAF chopper to Dover, just over an hour away by train|date=5 June 2023|work=The Guardian|accessdate=5 June 2023|archivedate=5 June 2023}}

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Category:1972 births

Category:Living people

Category:British businesspeople

Category:British billionaires

Category:British people of Indian descent

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