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Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Aly Esmail

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (supported by CareTech and Sheikh Holdings): Aly Esmail, director of the SME Group

Having joined his parents in the family business around a decade ago, Aly Esmail has helped make the SME group one of the most successful in its sector.


The group runs a wide range of fast food restaurants, partnering with some of the top franchise names in the world. Under Esmail’s watch, SME has expanded beyond its traditional London base and has now branched out into hotels with Choice Hotels International and InterContinental Hotels.

The company has over 1,000 employees and the Esmail family are well known philanthropists, donating to a number of worthy charities.

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Minimum wage to increase to 12.71 pounds from April 2026

THE UK’s main minimum wage rate will rise by 4.1 per cent to 12.71 pounds ($16.67) an hour from next April, the government said on Tuesday. The move is intended to keep pace with average pay, though some employers say it will increase prices.

Britain’s minimum wage is the second-highest in Europe relative to average pay and has gone up by more than 60 per cent since 2019, as successive governments worked to lift it to two thirds of median hourly earnings.

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