Abu Dhabi-based Lulu Group plans to invest about US$400 million in a new shopping mall and food processing units in India.
It has earmarked 25 billion rupees for a fruit and vegetable processing unit, an integrated meat processing unit, and a shopping mall in Hyderabad, the capital of India’s youngest state Telangana.
A Telangana government delegation met the group in Abu Dhabi this week.
The shopping mall will be anchored by a Lulu hypermarket and about 150 other brands, said a Lulu spokesman. Once construction work starts, the facility will be ready in two years.
“It’s a new state, the government is proactive in reaching out to us, and it’s attractive to us,” he said.
Grocery retailers’ sales in India topped 16 trillion rupees last year, up from about 14.6tn rupees in 2012, according to Euromonitor International.
There were about 12.4 million grocery outlets last year, much of which are open-air markets and small shops.
Lulu opened its first mall in India in the neighbouring state of Kerala in February last year but has invested in food processing units in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai over the past decade.
Its Kochi mall employed 6,000 people directly when it opened, and an additional 10,000 indirectly.
A Lulu delegation will visit Hyderabad next month.
While India has opened up the multi-brand retail sector to foreign investment, it requires foreign chains to operate with a local partner.
Individual states decide whether foreign supermarket groups can open outlets. The new prime minister Narendra Modi is also opposed to foreign players in the sector, saying it would hurt owners of smaller outlets, which are key employers around the country.
International grocery chain operators such as Tesco invest in India through local partners such as Tata Group. In March the British chain said it would invest £85 million (Dh491.2m) in shops.
Walmart India entered the country in 2009 and owns and operates 20 wholesale outlets in eight states. It parted ways with Bharti Enterprises in October last year.
The French chain Carrefour said in July it would close its five wholesale stores in India by the end of September.
One of the largest players in the retail supermarket is Reliance Fresh, owned by Reliance Retail, which operates 550 outlets in the country. But in July it said it would close 100 retail stores to focus on its wholesale business.
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On racial profiling at airports
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
