Bashundhara Group[1] (
Bengali: বসুন্ধরা গ্রুপ) is a Bangladeshi conglomerate[2] and one of the largest manufacturing companies in Bangladesh. It was incorporated in 1987[3] as a
real estate company under the name East West Property Development Ltd (EWPD). After its first project turned out to be successful, the company grew quickly. It presently owns more than 50 major concerns located throughout Bangladesh. The company's import-export turnover was $1.12 billion or BDT 111.38 billion in the 2022-23 fiscal year.[4] In the 2018 fiscal year, the company's real estate holdings amounted to BDT 50,000 crores, or $4.6 billion.[5]
History
Bashundhara Group (
Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, is the founder and chairman of Bashundhara Group.[6]) began in 1987 as real estate venture. After its first successful project, Bashundhara invested in new fields, including
manufacturing, industry and
trading. More enterprises were established in the early 1990s; these included cement, paper, pulp, tissue paper and steel production, as well as LP Gas bottling and distribution. Bashundhara received permission from
Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority to set up two specialized economic zones in
Keraniganj,
Dhaka, Bangladesh.[7]
Investments
In 2013, Bashundhara invested $181 million in the food sector, producing a wide range of products including flour, wheat, red meat, etc.[8]
In 2020, Bashundhara invested $143.7 million to build the largest bitumen plant in Bangladesh. This factory was intended to aid the country in becoming self-sufficient in bitumen production.[9]
In 2020, Bashundhara got involved in the coal trading market, with a notable example of supply 8 million tonnes of coal to the Rampal coal-fired power plant.[10]
In 2021, Bashundhara invested $909 million to create an oil refinery on 220 acres of land in the Sitakunda upazilla of the country's port city of Chattogram.[11]
In 2022, Bashundhara invested $546 million into creating Bangladesh's first gold refinery on 470 acres of land near the Dhaka-Purbachal highway [12]
In 2022, Bashundhara Multi-Steel Industries invested $395 million for phase-1 of a steel manufacturing plant at Bashundhara Industrial Economic Zone at Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar in Chattogram. The phase-2 investment of $727 million will be initiated in 2025, bringing the company's annual steel production to 3 million tonnes.[13]
In 2022, ABG Limited, a concern of Bashundhara group signed an agreement with the Chittagong Stock Exchange to acquire 25% of its shares for BDT 240 crore in line with the country's demutualisation act.[14]
In 2023, Bashundhara Telecommunications Limited submitted a proposal to the Post and Telecommunications division of the country to become a strategic investor of the struggling state owned carrier TeleTalk. The proposal outlines a plan to develop the network, enhance customer service and upgrade the systems of TeleTalk, which has made losses in all but the first two years of its 19-year-existence.[15]
Bashundhara City (
Bengali: বসুন্ধরা সিটি) is the second-largest shopping mall of Bangladesh. Construction of the shopping mall began in 1998; Mohammad Foyes Ullah and
Mustapha Khalid Palash of Vistara designed the building. Opened to the public on 6 August 2004,[41] the mall is located at Panthapath, near Karwan Bazar, in Dhaka city and cost over $100 million to complete. Bashundhara City is 21 stories tall, of which 8 are used for the mall, which houses hundreds of Bangladeshi fashion houses and jewelry shops, as well as around 100 food outlets which sell foods like French fries, burgers, fried chicken, etc.[42]
Despite going through literal fire twice since its existence, this second-largest shopping mall of Bangladesh stands high at the heart of the city. The first incident took place in 13th March 2009 where 7 people were perished and 20 others were injured. However, the second incident in 2016 did not have any casualties.[43]
Bashundhara Group is expanding its business in various sectors started from real estate sector to steel industry. In 2009, they started a new enterprise,
East West Media Group Ltd. It now owns four big media houses of
Bangladesh; namely, two television channel, one FM radio station, one online newspaper and three other print media publications. Kaler Kantho and The Daily
Bangladesh Pratidin are its Bengali national daily newspapers.[44] The English newspaper is owns named Daily Sun.;[45] The online newspaper is owns named
banglanews24.com (Bengali, English);.[46]News24,
T-Sports is the Television channel of EWMG whereas Radio Capital is its only FM radio station.