Kottayam: The inauguration of Lulu Group's brand new shopping mall at Manipuzha beside the M C Road in Kottayam is scheduled to take place in late November this year. Chairman and Managing Director of Lulu Group M A Yusuff Ali visited the mall recently to inspect the final phase of work and issued necessary instructions to his staff.

Lulu’s new mall in Kottayam will have a total area of 3.22 lakh square feet and two floors of shopping area. While the lower floor would be occupied by the Lulu Hypermarket, the upper floor would have outlets of the Lulu Fashion and Lulu Connect along with 22 showrooms of international brands, a food court which can seat 500 people and the children’s play area ‘Funtura’.

Another major feature of the mall would be a multi-level parking facility where 1,000 cars could be accommodated. In fact, visitors would be able to reach even the upper floor in their cars. A special ramp will also come up from the mall to the M C Road.

During his visit, Yusuff Ali shared the secret of success for all businesses with his employees: “Quality products, reasonable prices, good service and sufficient parking space.” When fully operational, the Lulu Mall in Kottayam will have 650 employees of the group.

Apart from examining the work, Yusuff Ali also took part in the first prayers held at the mall and carried out the ‘first display’ ceremony, where the items for sale are kept on the shelves for the first time.

Addressing his staff, Yusuff Ali told them to never violate the law. “Also, don’t cheat either the company or the customers. Prayers are the base of everything. People of all religions and castes live here. Lulu Group employs around 74,000 people worldwide,” he said.

Yusuff Ali spent over 2.5 hours at the hypermarket and mall. Prior to the opening of every Lulu Mall, the Chairman personally visits the place and ensures that all arrangements are foolproof, before deciding the date for its inauguration.

Yusuff Ali was accompanied by his brother and Lulu Group executive director M A Ashraff Ali during the visit. Earlier, Yusuff Ali had landed in a helicopter on a ground opposite the mall and reached the place in a self-driven luxury car. The mall in Kottayam is Lulu’s seventh in Kerala, with more such shopping centres coming up soon in Tirur, Perinthalmanna, Thrissur, Kollam and Kottiyam.