LuLu Group launches maiden US venture

LuLu Group International, a retail and hospitality group headquartered in Abu Dhabi, has opened its food processing and logistics bases in the United States.
Y International, a wholly owned subsidiary of the group, launched its operation in Lyndhurst, New Jersey.
The world-class export center will purchase, process, re-label and export food, non-food, chilled and frozen products made in the United States.
In the first phase, there are 75 employees and the staff strength is expected to eventually grow to 200 to 250 within a year. 
The facility was inaugurated jointly by Mayor Robert B. Giangeruso, Mayor Michael J. McPartland and Vinai Thummalapally, executive director of Select USA, in the presence of Yusuffali M.A., chairman, Saifee Rupawala, CEO, Ashraf Ali M.A., executive director and Mohammed Althaf, director of LuLu Group.
Attendees at the ribbon cutting, including local and foreign officials as well as members of the Indian-American business community from around the country, were thrilled by the impact the company can have throughout the state.
In his remarks, Yusuffali thanked the officials of Select USA, Choose New Jersey and state and county officials for their great support in helping LuLu launch its maiden US venture. 
“Our group has been importing US products for a long time to cater to more than 700,000 shoppers who come to our 131 hypermarkets daily," Yusuffali said, highlighting the longstanding relationships between LuLu, and farmers and manufacturers in the country, with a special emphasis on California.
“There has been growing demand for US products throughout our retail chain stores, across the GCC, India and the Far East,” he added.
Speaking to media during the ceremony, Choose New Jersey CEO and President Michele Brown said: "In addition to bringing new jobs to our state, Y International's export center will give New Jersey and the US manufacturers the opportunity to reach new markets in the Middle East and beyond.”
Brown said New Jersey is a perfect fit. "Our state is so diverse; we have populations from so many different countries,” she said.
“We felt they would feel both welcome and at home. The business they will be conducting out of this site is meeting American companies to buy goods and products to then export to their own consumer base,” she added. “We have literally thousands of companies in food in New Jersey."
New Jersey, Brown said, is also home to companies in the apparel and consumer goods industries, which could serve the needs of the company’s hypermarkets.

Source: Arab News