{{Short description| British billionaire businessman, and former CEO (born 1969)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}} {{Use British English|date=July 2015}} {{Infobox person | image = | image_size = | name = Simon Arora | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1969|11}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | education = Cambridge University | occupation = Businessman | known for = | spouse = Shalni Arora | parents = | children = 2 daughters | relatives = Bobby Arora (brother)<br> Robin Arora (brother) | website = }}
'''Simon Arora''' (born November 1969) is a British billionaire businessman, and former CEO of the retail chain B&M. <ref name="lbndaily.co.uk">{{cite web |title=New B&M CEO takes over seven months early |url=https://lbndaily.co.uk/new-bm-ceo-takes-over-seven-months-early |website=LBN Daily |date=15 September 2022 |access-date=23 January 2023}}</ref>
==Early life== Simon Arora was born in November 1969 to Indian parents.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref name=CompaniesHouse>{{cite web|title=B & M Retail Limited|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01357507/officers|website=Companies House|accessdate=10 August 2015}}</ref> His businessman father had emigrated to the UK from Delhi in the 1960s.<ref>{{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}}</ref> He studied law at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and worked at his father's cash and carry.<ref name="managementtoday1">{{cite web|url=https://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}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Tripos examination results from Cambridge university |work=The Times |date=3 July 1991 |page=35}}</ref>
==Career== Arora worked as an analyst for McKinsey, 3i and Barclays.<ref name="managementtoday1"/>
In 1995, he went into business with his younger brother Bobby Arora, 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.<ref name="managementtoday1"/>
In 2017, Simon and Bobby Arora cashed in £215m of shares and reduced their stake in B&M by a quarter, three years after taking it public.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/5fef7108-477f-11e7-8519-9f94ee97d996|title=Billionaire brothers sell stake in UK discounter B&M|work=Financial Times|date=2 June 2017 |accessdate=14 January 2019}}</ref>
As of May 2019, the Arora brothers (Simon, Bobby and Robin) jointly have a net worth of £2.26 billion.<ref name="MEN">{{cite news |last1=Britton |first1=Paul |title=The Sunday Times Rich List 2019: The 15 richest people in Greater Manchester, Cheshire and the north west |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/richest-people-times-rich-list-16251442 |accessdate=8 October 2020 |work=Manchester Evening News |date=10 May 2019}}</ref>
Arora stepped down as CEO of B&M in September 2022 following 17 years in the role. He remains an executive director at the company.<ref name="lbndaily.co.uk"/>
===Covid-19 rates relief=== 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.<ref name="Indie1">{{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}}</ref><ref name="RetailGazette1">{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Guardian3" /><ref name="Indie2">{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Guardian1">{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Guardian1" /><ref name="Guardian2">{{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}}</ref> The Arora brothers received a combined total of £37m of the special dividend due to their 15% shareholding, which was said to be worth at least £750m.<ref name="Guardian2" /><ref name="Guardian3">{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Indie2" />
==Personal life== He is married to Shalni Arora, who has a Natural Sciences degree from Cambridge University, and was a co-founder of bio-tech business DxS.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://asianpowercouples.com/the-list/simon-shalni-arora/ |title=Simon & Shalni Arora - Asian Power CouplesAsian Power Couples |publisher=Asianpowercouples.com |date=30 June 2015 |accessdate=3 June 2017}}</ref> They have two daughters.<ref>{{cite web|author=James Ferguson |url=https://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}}</ref>
Arora lives in Hale Barns near Altrincham, next door to his brother Bobby.<ref name=GuardJun23>{{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}}</ref> Arora owns three of the flats at 3–10 Grosvenor Crescent, a Grade II* listed terrace in London's Belgravia district, where he unsuccessfully opposed a legal dispute about concierge services in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/financier-who-owns-18-million-flat-wins-court-battle-over-lack-of-concierge-staff-at-block-a3697096.html|title=Owner of £18m flat wins court fight over lack of concierge staff|date=21 November 2017|publisher=|accessdate=23 December 2017}}</ref>
Arora donated £50,000 to the Conservative Party in early 2020.<ref name='EC'>{{cite web|title=The Electoral Commission - Conservative and Unionist Party (Great Britain), Cash (C0501106)|url=https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Donations/C0501106|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230526142324/https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Donations/C0501106|publisher=Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)|accessdate=5 June 2023|archivedate=26 May 2023}}</ref>
== Awards == Simon Arora was honoured with the ''Lifetime Achievement Award'' at the [https://asianachieversawards.com/asian-achievers-awards-2025-neerja-birla-rishi-rich-taj-foods/ Asian Achievers Awards] for his leadership in the retail sector and his contribution to business growth and entrepreneurship.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Asian Achievers Honoured in London – London Daily Digital |url=https://ldd.news/lite-blogs/asian-achievers-honoured-in-london/ |access-date=2025-12-30 |language=en-US}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Arora, Simon}} Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:British businesspeople Category:British billionaires Category:Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Category:Conservative Party (UK) donors Category:British people of Indian descent