The Group was established in 1966 in the UAE capital, which at the time was little more than a large fishing community. In the 46 years since, the Company has grown steadily in tandem with that of its home base, but it is in recent years that the retail business growth has really accelerated. Today, LuLu has 104 hypermarkets, supermarkets, department stores and Shopping malls across the Gulf, Yemen and Egypt, which have delivered a string of industry awards and accolades. This year, the brand was ranked by UK-based global retail intelligence firm Planet Retail as the number one hypermarket chain in the Middle East, and the sixth in the huge Middle East and Africa region.
In addition to the flagship retail chain LuLu, the Group also has interests in manufacturing and food processing, imports and exports of food items, cold stores and warehousing, as well as logistics and travel and trade. The business is supported by a network of offices in 19 countries through the Middle East, Far East, China, India and Africa, through which the Group sources products and commodities to not only supply its own chain of stores but also other regional players.
Lulu Group which was one of the very few companies in the Gulf, which not only sustained its business during the global recession but also expanded its business manifold without any signs of slowdown or lay offs. The group which recorded an annual turnover of US$ 4.3 billion (Rs. 6400 crores approx.) in 2011 is eyeing for a 20% growth this year.
Led by the dynamic Managing Director Yusuffali MA, the Group is now going full steam ahead with a major investment drive in Kerala. Apart from the existing Lulu Convention center & hotel in Trichur and exporting hubs in Cochin & Trivandrum, the Group is coming up with some of the most ambitious projects that is sure to change the economic and tourism landscape of Kerala.
The Rs. 1600 crore Lulu Shopping Mall, slated to be the biggest in Asia is all set to open its door by the end of the year along with the first 5 star Marriott Hotel in Kerala. Another 5 star Marriott Hotel will be opening soon at Nedumbassery Airport apart from the state-of-the-art flight kitchen being launched in association with Lufthansa. The other major initiative would be the India’s largest Convention Centre and Five star hotel being developed in association with Hyatt Group at Bolghati, Kochi, work on which has just begun, while another convention center is coming up in Calicut. To beef up its retail and exports business the Group is investing heavily in developing a Logistic Centre and Cold Storage facility, the finest ones of their kind in India at Aluva near Kochi.
