Success stories often sound like fairy tales, but the journey of Mohsin Issa and Zuber Issa is built on real grit, practical thinking, and years of relentless work. Long before they became billionaire businessmen and major owners of Asda, they were two brothers growing up in a modest terraced house in Blackburn, helping in the family petrol station and learning the value of discipline from their parents. Their rise did not begin in luxury boardrooms—it began on fuel pumps, shop shelves, and long working days.
Today, Mohsin and Zuber Issa are among the most influential entrepreneurs in British retail. As the founders of EG Group, they transformed the traditional petrol station business into a global convenience retail empire operating across Europe, the United States, and Australia. Their acquisition of Asda in partnership with TDR Capital made them even more prominent, placing them at the center of one of the UK’s largest supermarket stories.
Their story is powerful because it reflects something bigger than wealth. It is about immigrant family values, business intelligence, and the courage to think differently. From one petrol station in Bury to thousands of sites worldwide, the Issa brothers have shown that vision and consistency can change everything.
Quick Facts About Mohsin and Zuber Issa
| Full Name | Mohsin Issa & Zuber Issa |
|---|---|
| Birth Year | Mohsin: July 1971, Zuber: June 1972 |
| Age (2026) | Mohsin: 54 years, Zuber: 53 years |
| Birthplace | Blackburn, Lancashire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Ethnicity | British-Indian (Gujarati Muslim family) |
| Profession | Entrepreneurs, Businessmen, Investors |
| Famous For | Founders of EG Group and Asda stakeholders |
| Parents | Vali Issa and Zubeda Issa |
| Siblings | Including older brother Zakir Issa |
| Education | Witton Park High School |
| Major Companies | EG Group, Asda, EG On The Move |
| Net Worth | Estimated combined £6 billion |
| Awards | CBE, Entrepreneur of the Year |
| Foundation | Issa Foundation |
| Private / Limited public presence | |
| Twitter (X) | No strong public personal accounts |
| Mainly corporate visibility |
Early Life and Family Background
Mohsin and Zuber Issa were born in Blackburn, Lancashire, into a hardworking Gujarati Muslim family whose roots trace back to Bharuch in Gujarat, India. Their parents, Vali and Zubeda Issa, moved to the United Kingdom in the 1960s to work in the textile industry before later running a petrol station. Like many immigrant families of that generation, they believed deeply in sacrifice, education, and building stability for the next generation.
The brothers grew up in modest surroundings, far from the billionaire lifestyle they would later achieve. Their childhood was simple and practical, shaped by responsibility rather than comfort. Helping at the family petrol station gave them early exposure to customer service, stock management, and the daily realities of small business. These early lessons became the foundation of their future empire.
They attended Witton Park High School and did not follow the traditional elite business path of prestigious universities and corporate internships. Instead, they learned through observation, work, and risk-taking. Their upbringing taught them that business success comes from understanding people, staying patient, and never being afraid to start small.
Education and the Lessons Beyond the Classroom
Their formal education ended relatively early compared to many high-profile corporate leaders, but that never limited their ambition. School gave them structure, but their real education happened in the world of business. They learned by watching how customers behaved, how margins worked, and how businesses survived tough times.
Zuber especially showed entrepreneurial instincts from a young age. As a teenager, he purchased a small news kiosk in Preston and gradually expanded it into a chain of newsagents across shopping centers in North West England. This gave him direct experience in retail operations and customer behavior, something that would later prove extremely valuable.
Mohsin, meanwhile, co-founded Europlast with older brother Zakir in 1993, entering the plastic packaging industry. Zuber later joined as a shareholder. These ventures were not glamorous, but they were important training grounds. They taught the brothers about scaling businesses, managing people, and surviving setbacks without depending on outside privilege.
The Beginning of Their Entrepreneurial Journey
Before the world knew them as retail billionaires, the Issa brothers were simply business-minded young men looking for opportunities. Their early ventures in packaging and retail gave them confidence, but they were searching for something with bigger long-term potential. That opportunity came through the fuel business—a sector they already understood from family life.
They realized that petrol stations were changing. Fuel alone would not define the future. Customers wanted speed, convenience, food, coffee, and everyday essentials all in one place. Instead of seeing petrol stations as basic forecourts, they saw them as future convenience hubs that could serve modern lifestyles more efficiently.
This insight was their breakthrough moment. It was not about inventing something completely new, but about seeing hidden value where others saw routine business. Their ability to rethink the ordinary became one of the strongest reasons behind their later success.
Founding EG Group and the Rise of Euro Garages
In 2001, Mohsin and Zuber Issa bought their first petrol station in Bury, Greater Manchester, for around £150,000 and founded Euro Garages, which later became EG Group. This single site marked the beginning of one of the most successful convenience retail businesses in modern Britain.
Their strategy was simple but powerful: make petrol stations more than fuel stops. They added food-to-go services, convenience stores, and major brand partnerships with companies such as Starbucks, Subway, Burger King, Greggs, and KFC. Customers could now fill fuel, buy groceries, grab coffee, and eat—all in one visit. This transformed customer behavior and increased profitability dramatically.
As major oil companies like Esso began selling off forecourt sites, the Issa brothers moved aggressively. They acquired locations, modernized them, and expanded internationally. What began in Bury eventually grew into a global network of thousands of sites across Europe, the United States, and Australia, making EG Group one of the world’s most powerful convenience retail operators.
The Asda Acquisition and a Major Retail Milestone
One of the biggest moments in their career came in 2020 when they partnered with TDR Capital to acquire a majority stake in Asda from Walmart in a £6.8 billion deal. It was one of the most important supermarket acquisitions in recent British retail history and instantly placed the brothers among the most powerful figures in UK business.
Mohsin later became the chief executive of Asda and led the company through a period of major transition. His focus included improving operations, resetting strategy, and integrating parts of EG Group’s retail expertise into the supermarket business. Their understanding of convenience retail gave them a different perspective compared to traditional supermarket leadership.
By 2024, the business structure evolved again. Zuber sold his Asda stake to TDR Capital, while Mohsin stepped down from the CEO role and remained involved in a strategic capacity. Even with changing leadership roles, their influence on the future of British grocery retail remains significant.
Awards, Recognition, and Industry Respect
Business success brought major recognition for the Issa brothers. In 2018, they received Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award, a major honor celebrating leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurial excellence. It recognized how dramatically they had changed the petrol retail model across the UK.
In 2020, both Mohsin and Zuber were appointed Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to business and charity. This was more than a personal milestone—it reflected their growing national influence and the economic impact of the businesses they had built.
Their recognition also extends into minority entrepreneurship and community representation. For many British Asian entrepreneurs, the Issa brothers represent proof that large-scale success can come from local roots, family values, and practical business intelligence rather than traditional elite networks.
Personal Life, Family Values, and Private Nature
Despite their wealth and business fame, Mohsin and Zuber Issa have remained surprisingly private compared to many modern billionaires. They are not known for flashy social media lifestyles or celebrity branding. Instead, they have stayed closely connected to Blackburn, where much of their business and identity remains rooted.
Family plays a central role in their lives. Mohsin has children from his first marriage, while Zuber is married to Asma and has four children. Their Muslim Gujarati upbringing shaped their values around discipline, responsibility, and community support. These values are often reflected in how they manage business and philanthropy.
Even their decision to remain strongly connected to Blackburn rather than fully shifting to London reflects their personality. They have often emphasized quality of life, family closeness, and local loyalty over corporate image. In a world obsessed with visibility, their quiet style has become part of their identity.
Net Worth and Sources of Income
As of 2025–2026, the Sunday Times Rich List estimated the Issa brothers’ combined net worth at around £6 billion, placing them among the wealthiest families in the United Kingdom. Their fortune is primarily built through EG Group, Asda investments, property holdings, and broader investment structures such as the Monte Group.
EG Group remains the core of their financial success. Its international scale, brand partnerships, and retail footprint generate enormous long-term value. Their wealth also includes hotel ownership, sports investments like Castore, and other private ventures focused on growth and strategic expansion.
Of course, public discussions around their wealth often include corporate debt and financial complexity, especially linked to Asda and EG Group. Still, regardless of structure, their place among Britain’s top business families is firmly established. Their story is not just about how much they own, but how intelligently they built it.
Charity Work and the Issa Foundation
In 2016, the brothers established the Issa Foundation, showing that philanthropy was a serious part of their long-term legacy. The foundation focuses on charitable work, education, and community development, particularly in Blackburn and surrounding areas.
One of the most visible projects linked to the foundation was the development of a major mosque in Blackburn. The project represented both religious commitment and a desire to invest back into the community that shaped them. It became a symbol of faith, identity, and local responsibility.
Their charitable work adds important balance to their public image. While headlines often focus on billion-pound deals and corporate strategy, philanthropy shows another side of their leadership—one centered on legacy, gratitude, and giving back.
Social Media Presence and Public Image
Unlike many modern entrepreneurs, Mohsin and Zuber Issa are not strongly active on Instagram, X, or public personal LinkedIn branding. Their digital presence is mostly connected to corporate announcements, interviews, and business reporting rather than personal lifestyle updates.
This reflects their traditional business mindset. They believe in results over performance and strategy over personal branding. Their reputation comes from what they build, not what they post. In many ways, that makes them stand out even more in today’s attention-driven world.
Their public image is built through business outcomes—major acquisitions, investment decisions, and company growth. Investors and journalists follow them because their decisions shape industries, not because of social media influence. That quiet authority has become one of their strongest personal brands.
Conclusion
The story of Mohsin and Zuber Issa is one of discipline, vision, and extraordinary business courage. From helping in their family’s petrol station to building a billion-pound empire across global retail, they proved that success does not require perfect beginnings—it requires persistence, smart thinking, and the willingness to act when others hesitate.
They represent a modern version of the self-made entrepreneur: rooted in family values, guided by practical intelligence, and committed to long-term growth. Their rise offers inspiration not only to business leaders but also to young people from ordinary backgrounds who dream of building something meaningful.
As Mohsin and Zuber Issa continue shaping the future of retail, investment, and philanthropy, their journey stands as a reminder that resilience and purpose can create a lasting legacy. They are not simply building companies—they are building influence that will inspire future generations.