Dec. 2018: Lulu opens 7th Store in Bahrain at Atrium Mall, This says it all really. Seven hypermarkets on this little Island and more to come. But one has to admit, it is so well positioned geographically and one wonders if Lulu are just load sharing or indeed creating a massive amount of footfall.
The bloke who runs or is behind Lulu Group International certainly (pictured) has ambition and is moving like a Tsunami. His name is Yusif Ali MA. A man from a humble background as so many Indians are, but now at the helm, he is opening so many new hypermarkets across the Middle East and Beyond. This is the 7th one in little Bahrain with 3 more to go.
How much must this individual be worth?
Next, we might even see a Lulu on Kensington High Street in London as they spread like a wave across countries.
But jesting apart, even Bloomberg cannot get the figures, regarding the total value of this group. They are like bulldozers, nothing stops them. Whodoeswhat asked the simple question; ‘How much is the group worth?” Yusif Ali, with his cemented smile just said; ‘Thank you’ and walked away, content on thanking the hierarchy of Bahrain for allowing and instigating such progress. Having stated that; the company is well liked in the Middle East, both by Government and public, no doubt they obviously struck a high-note among the said entities.
There is no animosity, quite the opposite, but there are mysteries as to how successful Lulu has become so quickly. The group is quite diverse, so one wonders if they actually know themselves how much they are worth, but it must be quite significant by world standards. On the other hand and far beyond the scope of Whodoeswhat.tv. why are they reluctant to cough up a rough figure, The public obviously like the prices Lulu operate at and are happy to see so many new stores appear. As for total worth, perhaps the tax laws in India are so complicated, it’s better to keep quiet and remain as a semi, but not quite offshore company.
However, nothing comes across as ‘Corporate Greed’, on the contrary, Lulu Group International seem to be filling a niche and creating employment. This can be judged by their business model whereby slowly but surely they are creating more and more ‘Lulu Brands’ just as Tesco, Waitrose and other major chains do in Europe. Yes, it is very Indian orientated, but locals are benefiting too with many job opportunities.
The bigger a group gets, the question always asked is; ‘What quality is attached to Corporate Branding? Lulu, like Tesco and say Waitrose are obviously sourcing from reasonable quality providers or manufactures and it is very apparent that they are not looking for sub-standard product to stick their name on.
All in all, Lulu Group International has to be admired for tenacity, plus they are not particularly focusing on the Indian or Sub Continent clientele, despite their very Indian operation. Quite the contrary, Juzer Rupawali, Regional director maintains that customers should inform them of; ‘What products they want on the shelves’ and they will go all out to get it.
