UAE-based retailer Lulu is due to open its first shopping mall in India on 10 March.
Costing Lulu Rs16bn (US$295m), the mall was scheduled to open at the end of 2012 after repeated setbacks, but ongoing construction delays pushed the launch back further.
The retailer has stated its intention to invest a further Rs40bn (US$737m) more in India over the next few years.
The mall, which will open in the Edapally area of Kochi, Kerala, is reported to be one of the country’s largest at 17 acres. It includes an ice rink, cinema, hypermarket, restaurants, stores and a bowling alley. As part the complex, the developer is also constructing a Marriott hotel.
It is anticipated to create direct employment for approximately 8,000 staff.
Lulu’s move into India reflects the strong inks the company has with Kerala and the UAE. The retailer is a division of the Emke Group, whose managing director Yusuff Ali is originally from the Indian state.
In a statement on its website, Lulu names Kochi as the gateway to Kerala and “perhaps the most significant city on the country’s west coast, after Mumbai.”
