Nilesh Ved

Last updated
Nilesh Ved
EducationBSC in Business Administration from Boston University
Occupation(s)businessperson, investor
Spouse Sima Ved
Children3
Website nileshved.ae

Nilesh Ved is a businessperson and the founder and chairman of AppCorp Holding Global, [1] an international conglomerate operating across 14 countries and the parent of Apparel Group. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Ved graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University. He is coming from a family with a history of entrepreneurship, including operating one of Dubai's largest gold bullion trading businesses since 1904. [3] Ved relocated to Dubai after completing his studies in the early 1990s, where he launched his first retail venture Lamcy Plaza in Dubai which would eventually evolve into the Apparel Group. [3]

Career

In 1996, Ved founded Apparel Group, beginning with three retail stores selling the American fashion brand Nine West. [4] In 2001, Ved established Major Brands for the India operations of Apparel Group. The company holds the rights to several international fashion and lifestyle brands, including Mango, Nine West, Aldo, Bally, Charles & Keith, La Senza, Inglot, Promod, Aldo Accessories, and Okaidi. [5] [6]

Ved launched Club Apparel, the group's loyalty program that offers rewards for shoppers, and 6thStreet.com, an omni-channel fashion e-commerce website that operates in the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar. [7] [8] In June 2019, Ved announced an agreement with Aldar Properties to establish 23 retail outlets across three of Aldar's major shopping malls. [9] In September 2022, 6thStreet collaborated with Nanovo to open the region’s first phygital store at Dubai Hills Mall, merging online and offline shopping. [10] In January 2023, Ved was among the investors in FuelBuddy, a New Delhi–based startup that raised US$20 million. [11]

In September 2024, Ved's Apparel Group announced a major joint venture with the French multinational retailer Carrefour to launch and expand its hypermarket chain in India. [12] [13]

As of 2025, the group operates more than 2300 stores in 14 countries and has over 85 brands. [14] [15] [16] Apparel Group has rights to international brands, including Tommy Hilfiger, Charles & Keith, Aldo, Tim Hortons, Cold Stone Creamery, and Victoria's Secret. [17] [18]

Recognitions

Ved has received several awards, including the Arabian Business's 50 Richest Indians in the GCC (2011, 2015, 2016), [5] [19] [20] and the Arabian Business's 100 Most Powerful Indians in the Gulf. [21] In 2018, he was also named among the Influential Indians: GCC Business Legends by Gulf Business. [22] In 2025, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Retail Leadership Circle (RLC) Honours for his contributions to the retail industry. [16] [23] [24]

Personal life

Ved is married to Sima Ved, the Vice Chairwoman and Founder of the Apparel Group. [1] They have three children Selina Ved, Sarisha Ved, and Nayan Ved. [1] [25]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Radhakrishnan, Manjusha (2023-06-13). "From TV to business empire: Apparel Group founder and chairwoman Sima Ved's epic Dubai rise". Gulf News. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  2. "Retail brands grow with good real estate, says Nilesh Ved, Owner, Apparel Group on role of prime retail real estate in scaling". ETRetail.com. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  3. 1 2 Writer, Staff. "50.Richest.Indians.2016-25.Nilesh Ved". Arabian Business. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  4. Writer, Staff. "IPL 2010 - Nilesh Ved". Arabian Business. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  5. 1 2 Writer, Staff. "IRL.2015-22.Nilesh Ved". Arabian Business. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  6. "Major Brands to expand; finds real estate an impediment". www.indiaretailing.com. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  7. "6thStreet.com opens new office in Riyadh Gallery Mall". Arab News. 2022-10-12. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  8. Writer, Staff (2024-11-29). "UAE fashion major 6thStreet leverages Gupshup to boost marketing ROI". Arabian Business. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  9. "Aldar finalizes lease agreement with Apparel Group for 23 stores". Saudigazette. 2019-06-22. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  10. "6thStreet collaborates with Nanovo, opens region's first phygital store". 2022-09-17. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  11. "FuelBuddy raises $20 million funding, eyes UAE expansion". The Economic Times. 2023-01-23. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  12. "Carrefour teams up with Dubai's Apparel Group to expand into India". Reuters. 9 September 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  13. "Carrefour looking to export from India in next five years: Lasfargues & Ved". www.business-standard.com. Archived from the original on 2025-08-13. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  14. Presse, AFP-Agence France. "French Retail Giant Carrefour To Return To India". barrons. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  15. www.ETRetail.com. "Carrefour to open 50 stores in next 5 years in north India". ETRetail.com. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  16. 1 2 Report, A. GN Focus (2025-02-11). "Retail visionary Nilesh Ved honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award for Transformative Leadership at 2025 RLC Honours". Gulf News. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  17. "Nilesh Ved, Chairman, Apparel Group, News, Photos and Videos". India Today. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  18. Report, Gulf News (2022-12-22). "Tim Hortons achieves a new milestone with its 250th store opening in the Middle East". Gulf News. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  19. "50 Richest Indians in the GCC 2016". Arabian Business. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  20. "Indian Rich List 2011". Arabian Business. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  21. Writer, Staff. "Indian.100.2012-44.Nilesh Ved". Arabian Business. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  22. Writer, Staff (2018-08-26). "Revealed: Influential Indians in the GCC: Business legends" . Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  23. "Retail visionary Nilesh Ved honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award". Gulf News. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  24. "Retail Leadership Converges at 2025 RLC Global Forum". Bangkok Post. 2025-02-07. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  25. Abu Baker, Jaafar. "Like parents, like daughter: Meet Selina Ved of Dubai's Apparel Group". Gulf News. Retrieved 2 September 2024.