Tarak Ramzan is founder and Chief Executive of QUIZ plc and the driving force behind the Group’s success to date.
Tarak left University after his first year of Pharmacy to help his father manage his manufacturing business. Taking up the reins at 18 years old, Tarak Manufacturing specialised in producing ladies tailored garments and had a workforce of 25 people. Tarak kept all the manufacturing in Glasgow and by the late 1980s employed around 250 people supplying most of the major retailers on the high street.
By the 1990’s, manufacturing in Britain was shifting rapidly to the East and trading was becoming more difficult. Tarak knew the business needed to adapt so he took the decision to move into retail and opened the first QUIZ store in 1994. Tarak has successfully grown QUIZ into an internationally recognised omni-channel brand with more than 300 standalone stores, concessions, franchises, wholesale partners and international online partners in 20 countries. The company now has more than 1400 members of staff and has recently expanded its retail offering to Spain, with the launch of three standalone stores and a Spanish e-commerce website.
In July 2017, QUIZ was admitted to London Stock Exchange’s AIM following a successful Placing with institutional investors. QUIZ successfully raised £102.7 million and had a market capitalisation upon Admission of £200 million. This was the largest retail IPO of 2017, second largest on AIM year to date and Scotland’s leading IPO this year. The listing will enable QUIZ to re-invest £10.6m to help accelerate growth plans; notably online and internationally.
Aside from QUIZ Tarak has other business interests and also has in his portfolio some residential and commercial property companies and is involved in mentoring some start-up companies.
With his passion for retail and a keen eye for fashion and product, together with his ‘can-do’ attitude, he has steered the Group to success using a strategy that is centred around QUIZ’s distinctive selling proposition and the ability to stay ahead of the competition.
