{{Short description|British businessman}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}} {{Infobox person | name = Mahmud Kamani | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = Mahmud Abdullah Kamani | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1964|08}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | education = | occupation = Businessman | title = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | known_for = Chairman, [[Boohoo.com|Boohoo Group plc]] | boards = | spouse = | children = 3, including [[Umar Kamani]] and [[Adam Kamani]] | website = }}
'''Mahmud Abdullah Kamani''' (born August 1964) is a British businessman. He is co-founder and executive chairman of [[Boohoo Group]].
==Early life== His father Abdullah Kamani is from [[Gujarat]], India; settled in Kenya, but left in the 1960s due to unrest and moved to north-west England with his wife and three children.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The lavish life of the Boohoo billionaires|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/the-lavish-life-of-the-boohoo-billionaires/OIUJO6UU3Q7VLF2KYU46E5OOII/|access-date=2021-05-05|website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=24 July 2017 |language=en-NZ}}</ref><ref name="theguardian1">{{cite news|author=Zoe Wood |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jun/22/boohoo-not-fashion-sob-story |title=Boohoo determined not to be another fashion sob story | Business |work=[[The Guardian]] |date= 21 June 2014|accessdate=15 May 2017}}</ref> Abdullah started by selling handbags at a market stall, before starting a family textile business, supplying [[New Look (company)|New Look]] and [[Primark]].<ref name="theguardian1"/>
==Career== In 2013, Kamani was awarded ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ at the English Asian Business Awards.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/business-news/boohoo-founder-recognised-english-asian-6115081|title=Boohoo founder recognised at national awards|last=Begum|first=Shelina|date=2013-10-01|work=men|access-date=2018-06-25}}</ref> In 2015 he was honoured at the Legends of Industry Awards.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.variety.org.uk/news/2015/11/legends-industry-awards-2015|title=Legends of Industry Awards 2015|date=2015-11-20|work=Variety, the Children's Charity|access-date=2018-06-25|language=en}}</ref>
In April 2017, Boohoo announced that its profits had almost doubled to £31 million on sales up by 51% to almost £300 million.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39697246 |title=Boohoo online fashion retailer sees its profits double - BBC News |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=26 April 2017 |accessdate=15 May 2017}}</ref> When the company was floated on the stock market in 2014, it was valued at £560 million, and is worth about £3.54 billion as of July 2021.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> In June 2017, Kamani sold a total of 36.6 million shares together with his siblings, Nurez and Rabia. He sold over £80 million worth of Boohoo shares and raised an additional £50 million by placing 22.7 million new shares. The funds raised are earmarked for the development of a “supersite” warehouse.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jun/08/boohoo-co-founder-sells-shares-online-fashion-chain-mahmud-kamani|title=Boohoo co-founder sells £80m in shares as he reveals 'supersite' plan|last=Monaghan|first=Angela|date=2017-06-09|website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en|access-date=2018-06-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/business-news/boohoo-raises-50m-fund-new-13154395|title=Shares soar as Boohoo raises £50m to fund new 'super' warehouse|last=Begum|first=Shelina|date=2017-06-08|work=men|access-date=2018-06-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/ecd84fd6-4c39-11e7-919a-1e14ce4af89b|title=Boohoo bounces after raising £50m and upgrading sales forecast|website=Financial Times|date=8 June 2017 |language=en-GB|access-date=2018-06-25 |last1=Pooley |first1=Cat Rutter }}</ref>
In April 2018, Boohoo shares recovered after brand PrettyLittleThing doubled sales. Boohoo owns 66% of the brand.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cityam.com/284645/boohoo-sales-nearly-double-after-exceptional-performance|title=Boohoo shares soar after sales nearly double on "exceptional" performance|last=Smith|first=Rebecca|date=2018-04-25|access-date=2018-06-25|language=en}}</ref>
In February 2021, Boohoo has bought [[Arcadia Group|Arcadia]] brands [[Dorothy Perkins]], [[Wallis (retailer)|Wallis]] and [[Burton (retailer)|Burton]] out of administration for £25.2 million. Boohoo has bought the brands' e-commerce and digital assets and associated intellectual property rights.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-08|title=Boohoo buys Arcadia brands Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton for £25m|url=https://www.cityam.com/boohoo-buys-arcadia-brands-dorothy-perkins-wallis-and-burton-for-25m/|access-date=2021-02-18|website=CityAM|language=en-GB}}</ref>
{{As of|2024|September}}, his net worth is estimated at £67 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Media |first=Insider |date=2024-09-24 |title=Greater Manchester's 13 richest business people - including Issa and Done brothers - Insider Media |url=https://www.insidermedia.com/news/north-west/greater-manchesters-13-richest-people-including-issa-and-done-brothers |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=Insider Media Ltd |language=en}}</ref>
==Personal life== Mahmud Kamani and his wife Aisha have three sons. Two of them, [[Umar Kamani]] and [[Adam Kamani]], who co-founded [[PrettyLittleThing]], are active in the family business.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/meet-the-boohoo-billionaires-who-turned-a-market-stall-into-a-44-billion-fashion-empire/news-story/3c2b09be2deedcf0c62bea8402f52da5|title=Boohoo's billionaire founders have little to cry about|work=NewsComAu|access-date=2018-06-25}}</ref> He lives in [[Mottram St Andrew]], [[Cheshire]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whelan |first=Zara |date=2020-07-27 |title=Boohoo owner in council row over super-sized gates at Cheshire mansion |url=https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/boohoo-owner-council-row-over-18669503 |access-date=2025-06-17 |website=Cheshire Live |language=en}}</ref>
His brother Jalal Kamani is the former trading director of Boohoo.<ref>{{cite web|last=Dennys |first=Harriet |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/citydiary/10984056/City-Diary-No-tears-as-Boohoo.com-keeps-it-in-the-family.html |title=City Diary: No tears as Boohoo.com keeps it in the family |publisher=Telegraph |date= |accessdate=15 May 2017}}</ref>
Mahmud Kamani retains his connection to Kenya by supporting Kibera Kids, a Nairobi-based non-profit organization.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kiberakids.org/about-us/key-partnerships/|title=Key Partnerships {{!}} Kibera Kids {{!}} 0161 817 5020|website=www.kiberakids.org|language=en-US|access-date=2018-06-25}}</ref>
In July 2020, allegations were made about the I Saw It First fashion brand and Morefray Ltd, a supply company to Boohoo, of paying less than the minimum wage and failing to protect staff from [[COVID-19|coronavirus]] during the [[COVID-19 pandemic#2020|pandemic]]. The company is owned by Jalal Kamani, who jointly founded Boohoo with his brother Mahmud.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jul/10/boohoo-co-founder-jalal-kamani-linked-to-leicester-garment-factory|title=Boohoo co-founder Jalal Kamani linked to Leicester garment factory|first=Rob|last=Davies|newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=10 July 2020|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamani, Mahmud}} [[Category:1964 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:British billionaires]] [[Category:British businesspeople of Indian descent]] [[Category:British people of Indian descent]] [[Category:British people of Gujarati descent]] [[Category:British Muslims]] [[Category:British online retailer founders]] [[Category:Kamani family|Mahmud]]