Awards 2026
just about attracting people to spend time on site. That was our success.”
There have been other investments alongside their core petrol forecourt business interest. The family’s Monte Blackburn development arm is behind the Frontier Park concept. These multi-million pound, self-funded speculative industrial and logistics developments are attracting investment into Lancashire and creating valuable local jobs.
The first Frontier Park project, situated off the Whitebirk Roundabout on the edge of Blackburn, was a £100m development. Frontier Park Burnley represents another £60m spent by the Issas. Planning is in for a third in Preston. Outside Lancashire, there is also a Frontier Park development in Banbury, Oxfordshire.
Proud of his native county, Zuber says businesses are attracted here by the wealth of talent that exists. He explains: “We look to invest in the right businesses in the right places, and there is no better place than Lancashire to do business.
“We’re born and bred in Blackburn and we are very fortunate to have this office and other business interests here.”
Looking out at the view from the office, he adds, “When people come from the south I ask them where will they find views like this? Our county is so beautiful and picturesque. The people, the communities, the creativity, the connectivity. We are so fortunate.”
He and his brother, raised in a terraced house in Blackburn, also believe in putting something back into the community. In January, Masjid E Vali opened on the former site of Westholme Junior School in the town.
EG On The Move’s headquarters
Funded by the Issa Foundation, a charity established by the brothers, the modern mosque and community facility has been named in memory of their late father, Vali Issa.
Zuber, a father-of-four, says: “The development has turned out beautifully. I was praying last night in the mosque, and as I was walking back home, it looked stunning in the evening, serving as a gateway beacon into Blackburn.
“It is something my father wanted to build and we have done so in his memory. We are fortunate that we are able to give something back to the community.”
Zuber adds: “My dad came to the UK in 1968 to work in the textile sector. My grandad told him and my uncle that he needed to send one of them abroad so they could earn money to send back to the family in India.
“He said, ‘There is an opportunity but I’ve only got enough money to send one of you’. So, it was like a toss of a coin and fortunately it was my dad who ended up being an economic migrant and settling here in the UK.
“Our parents’ goal was to better their and their
children’s lives and to send some money back home, so family there could better their lives as well. They had to work so hard, up to 18 hours a day, seven days a week.
“I was speaking to my mum the other day, and I asked how much money she brought with her to the United Kingdom. She said, ‘If I’m not mistaken, it was less than £2’.
“You can see from their humble beginnings and hard work, we have been blessed with what we have today, and how their grounding gave us the opportunities we have been able to realise.
“The challenge now is, how do we share the same motivations and encouragement with the next generation, so they can work really hard to preserve and build on what we have established and pass it on to the generation after them.
“It’s about having the right motivation, commitment and work ethic. I keep saying to the young people, don’t look at what you have, just remember where you come from and absorb this energy to drive productive change in your personal and professional lives. You should never ever forget your roots.”
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23
BIG INTERVIEW
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