Tag Archives: Yusuffali M A – Chairman – LuLu Group

NRI businessman Yusuf Ali keeps promise, repays loan amount of poor family

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KERALA / UAE :

Amina had taken a loan from the Keechery Service Co-Operative Bank for the wedding of their daughter by mortgaging their land and house.

The bank will return the documents for the land after changing it to Amina’s name at the earliest, officials said. (Photo| EPS)

Kochi :

Amina’s family will sleep peacefully at their home in Kanjiramattom, a suburb in Kochi, free from the fear of bank attachment, thanks to the large-heartedness of NRI businessman MA Yusuf Ali. 

She had been spending sleepless nights and had forgotten what it felt like to have a normal day due to a bank loan, which the family struggled to repay.  

Amina had taken a loan from the Keechery Service Co-Operative Bank for the wedding of their daughter by mortgaging their land and house. The land and house were under bank attachment due to the default in repayment. Her savings were used for the treatment of her husband, and there is no money left to pay the recovery amount. 

On Sunday, Amina rushed to Panangad to meet Yusuf Ali, who had come to the village to visit Rajesh and his family, who rescued the Lulu group chairman after his helicopter crash-landed early this year. As soon as Yusuf Ali heard about Amina’s distress, he instructed his coworkers to deposit the money and pay off her loan amount at the earliest.

Amina never thought that her problems would be solved quickly when she expressed her grief over the threat of losing her home to the bank to Yusuf Ali. Amina’s husband Syed Mohammad is suffering from cancer. 

On Monday, Amina and her husband were informed that someone had come to visit them. Both of them rushed to the place and were clueless about the visitors. They asked the visitors who they were and the purpose of their visit. 

The visitors were the employees of Lulu Group. Though Amina didn’t understand who they were initially, the employees of Lulu told them that they had paid off the loan amount of Rs 3,81,160 that the couple owed to the bank. Amina and her husband were beyond belief when the media coordinator of Lulu Group NB Swaraj, handed over the receipt of the repayment of loan and interest to Amina. He also handed over a sum of Rs 50,000, including medical expenses, to the couple for treatment expenses on Yusuf Ali’s instructions. 

The loan amount of Rs 2,14,242, and a total of Rs 3,81,160 including interest and penalty interest, was deposited by Yusuf Ali in the bank. The bank will return the documents for the land after changing it to Amina’s name at the earliest, officials said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Express News Service / December 07th, 2021

UAE-Based Indian Businessman Yusuff Ali Appointed Vice-Chairman Of Abu Dhabi’s Top Govt Body

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KERALA / UAE :

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has appointed prominent Indian businessman M.A. Yusuff Ali as the vice-chairman of the apex government body for all businesses operating from the UAE’s capital city, making him the only person from India on the 29-member board.

Yusuff Ali is the chairman and managing director of UAE-based Lulu Group International, which runs a chain of businesses with an annual turnover of over 8.1 billion dollars.

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Mohamed bin Zayed has issued a resolution to form a new Board of Directors for Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, chaired by Abdullah Mohamed Al Mazrouei.

65-year-old Yusuff Ali was ranked the richest expat in the UAE by Forbes magazine 2019 and is the first Indian to receive permanent residency in Saudi Arabia. Ali also has a sizeable stake in Cochin International Airport Ltd. which runs and operates the Kochi airport.

Sheikh Mohammed issued a resolution to form a new Board of Directors for the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI), chaired by Abdullah Mohamed Al Mazrouei and Yusuff Ali as the Vice-chairman.

The ADCCI is the apex government body of all businesses established in Abu Dhabi. It will function as an effective bridge between the government and the business sector. Accordingly, every business establishment in Abu Dhabi has to be licensed by ADCCI.

Yusuff Ali described his appointment as “a very humbling and proud moment” in his life.

“My sincere gratitude to the visionary leadership of this great country and I will strive to do my best towards justifying the great responsibility entrusted upon me. Apart from working for the growth of Abu Dhabi economy & the larger business community, I will sincerely work towards further boosting the Indo-UAE trade relations,” he said.

Ali was recently honoured with the Abu Dhabi Award 2021, the highest civilian honour for his almost 5-decade long contributions in the fields of economic development and philanthropy.

source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> News / by The Cognate News Desk / July 26th, 2021

Meet Yusuffali MA, who paid Rs 1 crore to save Kerala man on death row in UAE

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KERALA / Dubai, UAE :

Yusuffali MA is a UAE-based Indian businessman. He is a billionaire who operates the Lulu Group that owns Lulu Hypermarkets and shopping malls.

Meet Yusuffali MA, who paid Rs 1 crore to save Kerala man on death row in UAE - Business News

It was nothing sort of rebirth for Becks Krishnan, serving a death row in UAE when his 500,000 Dirhams (around Rs 1 crore) compensation was paid in full and the man hailing from Kerala was released. The generous compensation was paid by Yusuffali MA, the chairman and managing director of LuLu Group.

Krishnan was sentenced to death by UAE’s Federal Supreme Court. He had been found guilty of killing a young Sudanese boy when he recklessly drove his car and rammed a group of children in September 2012. Ever since the sentence, the family had been trying for his release. But that required a hefty compensation to be paid. This is where Yusuffali stepped in.

Meet Yusuffali MA, who paid Rs 1 crore to save Kerala man on death row in UAE - Business News

In his career as a business tycoon, Yusuffali has headed the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI). He is the only non-Arab to be elected to the director board of ADCCI for three consecutive terms.

He has been a key mediator in the Kochi Smart City project between the Kerala government and the Dubai-based TECOM Group. Apart from his role in business, he has also organised several relief measures in India, notable among those are during the Lathur earthquake in Maharashtra, the Gujarat earthquake, and the Uttarakhand floods.

Yusauffali was conferred with Padmashree by President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil in 2008 for his achievements in business and industry. He was the first non-resident Indian (NRI) from the Gulf and the Middle East countries to be awarded Padmashree. Previously, he had been given the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award by late President APJ Abdul Kalam in 2005.

The UAE government in April awarded him with its highest civilian award for his noble and charitable contribution to the community. After accepting the award, Yusauffali said, “I first arrived in Abu Dhabi 47 years ago with dreams and hopes. I faced a lot of challenges and ups and downs in my life, but, today, I have reached this stage by the grace of Almighty God and the wholehearted support from the Royal Family of the UAE.”

Securing the release of Krishnan, Yusuffali simply “thanked the almighty and the benevolence of visionary rulers of UAE” for the decision, and wished him a happy and peaceful life ahead.

source: http://www.indiatoday.in / India Today / Home> Business / India Today Web Desk, New Delhi / June 04th, 2021

UAE-based Lulu Group to set up food processing centre in Jammu and Kashmir

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Dubai, UAE :

Currently, Lulu imports apples and saffron from Kashmir and imports will significantly increase in the coming years.

Image used for representatio

The UAE-based Lulu Group International has announced a plan to set up a food processing centre in Srinagar for sourcing a wide range of agri products from Jammu and Kashmir.

The announcement was made by Lulu group chairman Yusuffali MA on Thursday during a meeting with a delegation from Jammu and Kashmir headed by its Principal Secretary (Agriculture Production and Horticulture) Navin Kumar Choudhary on the sidelines of the UAE India Food Security Summit 2020.

“As per the commitment made during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to UAE in 2019, Lulu Group is fully focused on sourcing a wide range of agri products from J&K,” Yusuffali, who is from Kerala, said.

“Setting up of a new food processing and logistics centre will further boost the export of Kashmiri products,” he said.

Currently, Lulu imports apples and saffron from Kashmir and imports will significantly increase in the coming years.

The group imported more than 400 tons of Kashmiri apples till date, despite several challenges in the recent past due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to an official statement.

Yusuffali said Lulu group is one of the leading importers of food and non-food products from India and setting up of a new food processing and logistics centre will further boost export of Kashmiri products to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other countries.

GCC is a political and economic union of six Arab states bordering the Gulf.

Its members are the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Describing the meeting as “very productive”, J&K Principal Secretary Choudhary said a large number of decisions were taken to promote the export of agriculture and horticulture products from the union territory to the entire Gulf region using stores of Lulu group.

He assured all help to Lulu group for setting up logistic facilities and offices at identified facilities in J&K.

Choudhary also welcomed the initiative of Lulu group to host a “J&K special” fortnight at all super markets at its group across the Gulf region on the occasion of Republic Day-2021 as part of Incredible India.

This fortnight celebration will begin on January 24 next year and will showcase J&K’s famous products like cuisine and cultural heritage, the statement said.

The discussions also focused on exploring the possibility of direct passenger as well as regular cargo flights between Srinagar and Dubai.

An MoU was also signed between Lulu group and Fruit Master Agro Fresh J&K for the supply of apple and other fruits for the super markets of Lulu group across the Gulf countries, the statement said.

Indian Consul General Aman Puri congratulated Lulu group for announcing a host of initiatives and the long-standing commitment and partnership in achieving the target of doubling J&K’s exports and expressed his gratitude to the company chairman for his initiatives in the union territory which would generate employment opportunities for local youths and contribute to the economic development of the region.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Business / by PTI / December 11th, 2020

Kerala NRI in London converts Old Scotland Yard police HQ into 5-star hotel

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KERALA / U.A.E. :

At the helm of this 300 million pounds (over Rs 28,06,09,18,200 roughly) investment is the Kerala born NRI businessman MA Yusuff Ali.

Kerala NRI in London converts Old Scotland Yard police HQ into 5-star hotel

A night stay at the hotel will cost you over Rs 40,000 and lunch over Rs 10,000 | Photo from Twenty14 Holdings website

Once upon a time in London, United Kingdom the address people would have wanted to avoid might be now the place they might aspire to be in – The Great Scotland Yard Hotel.

Better known as the Old Scotland Yard that served as police headquarters, now is a plush 5-start hotel.

At the helm of this 300 million pounds (over Rs 28,06,09,18,200 roughly) investment is the Kerela born NRI businessman, MA Yusuff Ali of Lulu Group’s hospitality arm, Twenty14 Holdings.

Calling it a “dream come true” to transform world’s most historic addresses, Adeeb Ahamed, the managing director of Twenty14 Holdings said, “This building holds more tales than ever told and our approach has been multi-layered, with emphasis on stories that are unheard, the hotel is a tribute to the intrinsic spirit of London.”

Opened to public from the December 5, it was inaugurated by Nicky Morgan, UK secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport.

Speaking about the “exceptional transformation” that the building has undergone Sir Edward Lister, special advisor to the Prime Minister, said, “It is a place which is right at the heart of the city and the government and the West End of London. It’s just a perfect location for a tourist.”

Event was also attended by the High Commission of India, her excellency Ruchi Ghanshyam amongst other Lords and dignitaries.

It might cost upward of 430 pounds (Rs 40,000 roughly) to stay for a night and 100 pounds (Rs 10,000 roughly) to lunch at the The Great Scotland Yard Hotel that has Trafalgar Square, Whitehall and the West End just round the corner.

Current building at 3-5 Great Scotland Yard has grand five storey Imperial Red brick and stone facade with arched main entrance | Photo from Twenty14 Holdings website

From staff wearing brass hand cuff in their belts to retaining some of the writings on the walls, this dog-friendly hotel endeavours to give its guests an eclectic experience of past and the present.

Shafeena Yousuff Ali, the daughter of Yusuf Ali, the woman behind the art and decor of the hotel said that they have tried to give their guests “a transformational experience that will inspire their souls”.

The operations of the hotel have been handed over to The Unbound Collection by Hyatt.

source: http://www.indiatoday.in / India Today / Home> News> World / by Loveena Tandon / December 06th, 2019

Yusuffali M A is fifth highest-ranked Indian philanthropist

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KERALA / U.A.E. :

Lulu Group chairman Yusuffali M A is ranked fifth in the list of top 10 philanthropists in the Hurun Indian Philanthropy List 2018 published on Saturday.

Yusuffali M A, CMD, Lulu Group, and A J Pai, Director, Lulu Tech Park, looking at a scale model of Lulu Cyber Tower-2 | Albin Mathew
Yusuffali M A, CMD, Lulu Group, and A J Pai, Director, Lulu Tech Park, looking at a scale model of Lulu Cyber Tower-2 | Albin Mathew

Kochi :

Lulu Group chairman Yusuffali M A is ranked fifth in the list of top 10 philanthropists in the Hurun Indian Philanthropy List 2018 published on Saturday.

Yusuffali is the lone Malayali to figure in the list which ranks benefactors who have donated  `10 crore or more during the October 2017- September 2018 period, said Anas Rahman Junaid, managing director and chief researcher, Hurun Report India.

He had donated more than `50 crore to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund in the aftermath of the flood havoc last year.

He had  donated generously during the devastating temblors at Latur, Maharashtra and Bhuj in Gujarat, the 2004 tsunami tragedy, Uttarakhand deluge and floods in Jammu and Kashmir.

Yusuffali has also assisted several Indians, stranded in the Gulf countries, providing them financial aid and flight tickets.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / February 10th, 2019