M. A. Yusuff Ali is an Indian businessman and billionaire. He is the chairman and managing director of LuLu Group International, which owns the LuLu Hypermarket chain worldwide and LuLu International Shopping Mall. With an annual turnover of US$8.4 billion, LuLu Group International employs the largest number of Indian diaspora|Indians outside India.

Here's look at the Inspiring Journey of Yusuff Ali M.A., Chairman & MD of Lulu Group, rose from working in a little shop to being a billionaire CEO of the company.

It was on December 31, 1973, when Yusuff Ali M.A. reached the shores of the UAE from Mumbai onboard a ship, named ‘Dumra’. Hoping to become a successful entrepreneur, he started working at his uncle’s small distribution business in Abu Dhabi.

Hailing from the Nattika village in Kerala today spearheads Lulu Group International, which operates one of the largest chains of hypermarkets and shopping malls. His total net worth is $7.1 billion, according to Forbes.

LuLu Group International began operations as a family business venture. After joining the company, Yusuff Ali expanded its operations to include the import and distribution of frozen items from Europe and the United States. The products were available not just in Abu Dhabi, but also in the other Emirates. The firm rapidly expanded to include both food and non-food categories.

The group's flagship retail chain, LuLu Hypermarkets & Supermarkets, is now considered one of the major players in the Middle East retail sector, with over 100 shops throughout the Persian Gulf Arab states. Aside from hypermarkets, supermarkets, and department stores, the group owns several shopping malls, including Khalidiyah Mall, Al Raha Mall, Al Wahda Mall, Mushriff Mall, Madinat Zayed Mall, Mazyad Mall, Ramli Mall, RAK Mall, Al Foah Mall, Al Khor Mall, Riyadh Avenue Mall in Saudi Arabia, and Oman Avenues Mall all over the GCC states.

Yusuff Ali M.A. also serves as the Second Vice-Chairman at the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.Lulu Group International has around 260 hypermarkets and shopping malls across 24 countries, including India, Egypt, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, China, the UK and the US.

MA Yusuff Ali launched his business in India by opening Lulu Convention Centre cum hotel in Kerala’s Thrissur in 2006. He purchased 49.99% of the Catholic Syrian Bank (CSB) and Dhanlaxmi Bank in 2013. He boosted his ownership of the Federal Bank, situated in Aluva, to 4.47 percent that same year. The first mall owned by Lulu Group opened in Kochi in 2013. 

In 2014, he purchased a 2% interest in South Indian Bank. Yusuff Ali opened a new shopping centre in Kerala in 2019. Then he expanded and opened malls in Lucknow and Bengaluru. According to reports, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family paid $1 billion for a 20% share in LuLu in April 2020. According to another report, he intends to IPO the retail company in 2023.

Acknowledged as one of the world’s 50 fastest-growing retailers, LuLu Group International has strategically expanded its influence. Beyond retail, the group is the proud owner of the Lulu Convention Centre in Thrissur and the Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Centre in Mulavukad Island, standing as one of the most substantial convention centers in South Asia.

Acknowledging its exponential growth and impact on the global retail landscape, Deloitte has recognized the LuLu Group as one of the fastest-growing retailers worldwide. This acknowledgment solidifies the Group’s standing as a dynamic and influential player in the international retail arena.

Yusuff Ali is actively involved in a number of social, charitable, and humanitarian activities in both India and the Arab Gulf states. He has participated in a variety of charity activities across the world. As part of its global CSR policy, the LuLu Group joined with Dubai Cares to adopt schools in Gaza and Nepal.Yusuff Ali contributed and took the initiative to open a multi-faith funeral center for the Indian population in Sharjah on 8.3 acres.