biography

Nicos Andronicou is a Cypriot serial entrepreneur and business innovator. He is the founder of WE Group, which operates the SMART Supermarket Chain in Limassol, with 3 outlets in the city and 17 across the island. Nicos also founded WaysExpress.com, the first online supermarket and he is the CEO of  Andronicou Group of Companies, active in investments, retail and private label production. He has over 18 years of experience in the retail and e-commerce sectors and is regarded as a retail pioneer and business game-changer. 

In 2023, he founded WE Hotels, a leading global online hotel booking platform with more than one million hotels worlwide, offering the best rates for accommodation across the world. 

Throughout his career, Nicos has contributed substantially to the development and expansion of the eCommerce sector in Cyprus, which has earned him mass public recognition. Through his entrepreneurial activity, he has innovated the sector, while his business endeavours have since expanded to other sectors of the digital economy. He is an advent supporter of all things innovation and is considered as a leading figure of his industry, with a thought leader status.

Andronicou was born on May 2, 1980, in Limassol, Cyprus. He grew up in a family of entrepreneurs and was honed accordingly. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in Radford University in the USA, where he acquired a university degree in Business Management. At the same time, he was trained at global powerhouses such as Amazon and Spanish store chain DIA, gaining world-class experience in retail, e-com and new business development 

Career

Andronicou began his career in 1998 as an entrepreneur in the trading and construction industry. He joined A&I Investments and Developments, a dynamic company with properties spread across Cyprus. In 2004, he joined the activities of Andronicou Group of Companies, which has been active for the past 18 years, across sectors such logistics, real estate and product development. In the same year, Andronicou became the director of BLP, importing and distributing consumer goods on a wholesale basis across Cyprus. In 2008, he became the director of Smart Discount Shops in Limassol, the biggest private chain of physical discount supermarkets on the island. 

In October 2015, Nicos launched DiaperWays.com, an e-shop selling diapers online at very competitive prices ,which was later renamed as WaysExpress.com, becoming the first Online Multistore in Cyprus. In the same year, he also became an operating partner of the global Spanish supermarket chain DIA Group. The establishment of this business earned Andronicou mass recognition, which resulted in him becoming one of the pioneering entrepreneurs in Cyprus. As a result, he went to expand his business activities through the creation of WE Group,  a mega-group of activities and initiatives.

2022 was a landmark year for Andronicou, who expanded his business portfolio by creating WE Hotels [5], a global lodgings and hotel booking platform and the first of its kind in the region. In the same year, he also launched WE Media, a one-stop shop communication and marketing agency, which also includes webusinessnews.com, an innovative news portal delivering news on entrepreneurship, tech, travel and market news.

Apart from his entrepreneurial ventures, Nicos is also a strong advocate of civil society and has trademarked the concept of “delivering happiness” to everyone through WE Charity, the company’s social responsibility arm. Andronicou is often seen participating at numerous community welfare events hosted by NGOs to promote environmental conscience and culture, access to a better quality of life for all citizens, and the importance of sports and wellness in human progress. He was also appointed as VP of the Apollon Basketball Club in Limassol and cooperates closely with local entrepreneurs to spread these values across society.

Nicos is a former basketball player of the Cyprus National Basketball Team. He is also  the Guinness Record Holder for the Biggest Baby Diaper in the World.