Yusaffali M A (Source: lulugroupinternational.com. File photo)
A prominent Indian-origin businessman has received the prestigious Queen’s Enterprise Award 2017 for his food processing plant’s role in boosting the UK’s position as an investor friendly destination. Yusaffali M A collected the award at a special ceremony in Birmingham Council House recently before meeting Queen Elizabeth II at a reception hosted for this year’s winners at Buckingham Palace in London.
The Kerala-born and UAE-based entrepreneur said the recognition for his Birmingham-based Y International (UK) Ltd will spur his Abu Dhabi headquartered Lulu Group International to further expand business interests in the UK.
“This great recognition will surely help us further strengthen our plans to expand business interests in the UK and continue with our innovations and contributions to the dynamic economy of UK,” he said in his acceptance speech after receiving the award from Lord Lieutenant John Crabtree, the Queen’s special representative.
“Y International UK Pvt Ltd, part of Lulu Group, has played a tremendous role in further boosting UK’s position as an investor friendly destination. They have not only opened up a huge market for British products worldwide through their operations here but also have contributed significantly in providing job and training opportunities,” Lord Lieutenant Crabtree noted.
Y International UK Ltd’s food processing plant, which employs 300 local staff, was established in Birmingham in 2013 to source and process food products from UK to support the demand for high-quality British products for sale in Lulu Group’s hypermarkets across the Middle East, India and Far East.
The Queen’s Award for Enterprise is conferred annually by the British monarch on her birthday, April 21, upon businesses that display great enterprise across the fields of innovation, international trade, promoting opportunity through social mobility and sustainable development.
The 6.9-billion-dollar Lulu Group, ranked as a top retailer in the MENA region and listed among the top 50 fastest growing retailers in the world by Deloitte, has made UK headlines in recent years for acquiring the iconic Scotland Yard building in London and for its investment in luxury retail brand East India Company.
