JEDDAH -- Indian business magnate and managing director of the Abu Dhabi-based EMKE Group Yousaf Ali M.A. has said he was expanding his business empire to Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to reporters here, Yousaf Ali said his group would open its Lulu hypermarkets in Jeddah, Riyadh and Alkhobar within two years.
According to reliable sources, the company has already signed a contract with a Saudi firm to establish the superstores.
Yousaf Ali, who is well known for his community service, recently won the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest award given to a non-resident Indian, from President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Non-resident Keralite Association (NORKA) follow-up committee in Jeddah organized a reception to honor him. The event, which was held at the Indian Consulate premises on Thursday, drew a large number of Indians.
Yousaf Ali spoke about plans to operate a budget airline from Kerala to the Gulf. "A presentation on the project has been made to the chief minister of Kerala, who said the government would give its reply within a month," he said.
Budget airline was one of the major demands of Keralites working in the Gulf. He promised Keralites that once the Kerala Airline is approved, it would operate its first flight from Saudi Arabia.
Yousaf Ali is the man who spearheaded the Cochin International Airport Limited at Nedumbassery, the first airport in India built by a public limited company (with 51 percent share held by the government of Kerala). He is now the airport's chairman.
Addressing the reception, Yousaf Ali said the award had increased his responsibility, adding that he would continue to work for the welfare of the Indian community in the Gulf.
Indian Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed commended Yousaf Ali's achievements and wished that he would one day become one of the world's top billionaires. Yousaf Ali's group employs 12,000 people including some 8,000 Indians.
His range of businesses now include the Emirates General Market (where the fortunes of the group started), EMKE Stores, Al-Mushref Cooperative Society, Lulu Center, Lulu Supermarket, Al-Falah Plaza, Asif Jewelry, Childhood 0-12, and City Center.
A man with worldwide business interests, his reach in the Gulf goes from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, Al-Ain, Sharjah, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.
P.K. Abdul Ghafour
© Arab News 2005
