"The deeper the roots, the stronger the growth."
Every story begins with a seed, a single act of faith planted in the soil of possibility. For ANB, that seed was courage, planted in 1927 when Nicolas Boukather Sr. became one of the pioneering car importers in the Middle East. He believed that progress was not a privilege for the few, but a necessity for productivity and advancement for the many.
Built on enduring values of trust, curiosity, and persistence, the roots grew deeper with each generation. Antoine Boukather protected the foundations and prepared future generations — introducing Mazda to Lebanon in 1968 through a daring gamble that would define the company's legacy.
Today, with over 230 employees, the group is one of the leading mobility dealership groups in Lebanon and the region, with Mr. Antoine Boukather having presided over the Automobile Importers Association from 2014–2018.
The family's vision has branched into a diversified business spanning mobility, real estate, and sports:
In Mobility: exclusive distribution for major car brands including Mazda and Ford, 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, and key bicycle brands across the MENA region
In Real Estate: commercial and residential development across Lebanon with prime locations
In Sports: cycling community development and motorsports engagement under Bikeera and ANB Motorsports, plus youth basketball development through Valencia Basketball Academy UAE
It all started in 1927 when Nicolas Boukather Sr. became the pioneer car importer in the middle east region, he was in fact among the first to import motor vehicles from the united states into the middle east.
Later, his son Antoine Boukather took a daring gamble in 1968 by introducing MAZDA which was still an unknown Japanese brand at the time, he decided to address it to a selective niche of customers on the Lebanese market. Confident of the reliability of the MAZDA brand, he was the first to introduce the concept of leasing in Lebanon through a very simple strategy:"If you like it you buy it, if you don't you can return it". This simple but effective practice contributed in growing the reliability and trust of the MAZDA brand immensly in Lebanon.
Antoine Boukather's sons, the twins Anthony & Nicolas were involved in the business and were trained to follow and nurture that passion and dedication they had for the business from a very young age. They would dedicate their time after school to grow the company vision in automotive, real estate as well as sports.
Despite the outbreak of the 2006 war, the twins continued to invest and develop the business through enhancing and transforming existing procedures with a more customer-centric approach. They also focused on onboarding and retaining young top talents as proof of their commitment to the group vision and promise.
ANB holding's track record of entrepreneurship and innovation was reinforced by developing the business further and identifying new opportunities for growth in the 2-wheeler segment. Venturing into this segment was a great chlallenge since it was still an unexplored area of the market at the time.Under the umbrella of this strategy, they introduced the Aprilia brand in Lebanon.
Following the success of Aprilia, they became the exclusive distributors of Piaggio Group which offered a wide range of products (Vespa, Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, Piaggio) that caught the attention of many and has set the benchmark for the 2-wheeler segement in Lebanon.
Following the group's diversification strategy in the automotive industry, they've decided to venture into OTOKAR which is a leading turkish bus and vehicles manufacturer that allowed to group to expand its horizons even further.
2012 was a major milestone for the group since this is when the ANB holding headquarters were launched in Nahr el mot area covering offices, showrooms, service and body shop facilities to ensure premium customer experience.
KTM which is a premium austrian motorcycle brand, was launched in Lebanon for the first time ever and quickly gained immense popularity in the industry.
Nicolas Boukather & Bajaj CEO Rajiv Bajaj
The group's vision for the 2-wheels segment continued to grow with the onboarding of Bajaj, who is a multinational 2-wheeler and 3-wheeler leading indian manufacturer also known as "The World's Favourite Indian" due to their remarkable reputaion.
The real estate success continued with the launch of the St. Charbel residences in Ain El Remmaneh/Chiyah that offers small apartments in a central location along with premium facilities and amenities.
The group was among the first family businesses in Lebanon to launch an incubation program on premises that aims to empower bright university students by providing them with extensive mentoring to enable them to handle major business challenges and turn them into opportunities. As a result of this incubation program, a Lebanese startup led by these students was launched under ANB holding.
After a blazing fire took place in ANB headquarters destroying everything, the whole team stuck together like family to help restore the premises with their own bare hands in just 6 days. This incident only made ANB stronger and more resilient.
ANB celebrated its 50 years of partnership with Mazda Corporation in a major chic event where suppliers, customers and Mazda corporation management team were all invited to celebrate this success as one big family.
ANB expanded its horizons even further into the UAE market where it took over the KTM brand in order to replicate the same success accomplished on the Lebanese market. KTM is now the leading desert bikes brand in the UAE with a huge community of hardcore riders!
2019 brought an exciting joint venture between several key players in the automotive industry, who decided to join efforts through a premium paint and body shop that offers state of the art technology and outstanding customer service.
ANB was appointed the new exclusive distributor of Ford in Lebanon which marked a great opportunity to broaden the product offering and cater for consumers looking for high-end crossovers, SUVs and muscle cars.
ANB was proudly appointed the exclusive distributor of HUSQVARNA in Lebanon
in 2020, the group decided to venture into agriculture to cater for both export as well as local demand of lavender, baby cornichon, honey, and other local cultivated products in the heart of Beqaa valley for both local supplies as well as export to Europe.
BIKEERA, ANB's biggest project yet in the UAE, will page the way for sustainable mobility and e-mobility in the region with leading mechanical and electric bicycle brands and related accessories, gear and apparel. BIKEERA is set to become the #1 destination for all cyclists and commuters out there!
ANB Holding expands its commitment to youth development and community wellbeing through the launch of Valencia Basket Academy UAE, bringing European-standard basketball training to the region. In partnership with one of Europe’s leading basketball institutions, the academy provides structured development programs, professional coaching, and a values-driven sports environment that empowers young athletes to grow both on and off the court. This milestone reflects ANB’s long-term vision to invest in sports, education, and the next generation of talent across the Middle East.