International Trade International Queen’s Award for Y International
A firm set up in Birmingham to supply British goods to the Middle East and South East Asia has won The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2017. The firm is Y International (UK) Ltd, set up by Anglophile Indian billionaire Yusuffali MA, to supply his group’s international retail chain. Mr Yusuffali MA is chairman and managing
director of Lulu Group International, which opened its first hypermarket in the 1990s, in the United Arab Emirates. Today, Lulu employs more than 35,000 staff
and as well as retail outlets, also owns a number of shopping malls, mostly in the Middle East. Y International, in Aston, is one of a number of
British interests owned by Lulu. The company has received The Queen’s Award for the contribution the company has made to the economy, export and job creation in the UK, having been set up to secure a source of quality halal products to be made available through the group’s hypermarkets in the Middle East, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Egypt. Today, Y International (UK) Ltd is a centre for
procurement, consolidation and export of a wide range of British products, including grocery, bakery, chilled and frozen products, fresh foods, dairy, and toiletries. Birmingham was chosen for the operation
after taking into consideration its connectivity, industrial history and quality real estate. It is the most advanced of some 24 centres set up worldwide to supply Lulu Group International, which has outlets in India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Egypt, as well as the Middle East.
Recognition: Lulu founder Yusuffali MA
‘This great recognition will surely help us further strengthen our plans to expand business interests in the UK’
The Birmingham distribution facility is now a
key part of the Lulu operation. It has storage units and advanced machinery to process and handle all types of foodstuffs with a well- established system to exercise better control over the traceability of food and contents, so enabling it to check any food-related hazards. The facility has been a huge boost for local
suppliers, and it has encouraged small scale manufacturers and dairy farmers to develop a relationship with the company, to market their products globally.
Y International has created a broader market
for products of British origin, and made food products available in all the hypermarkets and food service channels across the region. Since opening of its logistics warehouse, exports have increased by 300 per cent. The British company is also concentrating in
the marketing of specialty food products, such as ‘free from’ ranges including gluten free and organic products to support the Gulf region’s campaign to combat obesity and health issues. The Birmingham warehouse employed 20 staff
when it opened but today has more than 160. Mr Yusuffali said: “I am extremely honoured
and proud to hear the news about Y International (UK) Ltd being selected for the prestigious Queen’s Award this year. “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. “The fact that we have grown and expanded
our operations in such a short span of time is a testament to the pro-development economic policies of UK and we are fully committed to playing our role in further boosting the trade while focusing on key aspects such as highest quality, human resources and excellent corporate governance. “We are planning an ambitious expansion and
are in the final stage of our project to set up a new larger facility in Birmingham that would be a hub for logistics and export distribution in the UK.”
Export opportunities in the Commonwealth
Small businesses in the West Midlands are being urged to do more to build up exports with Commonwealth countries. The opportunities to export with the 52- member Commonwealth were outlined in a recent briefing in the region which was organised by Commonwealth First. Commonwealth First is the brainchild of the
Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) and was launched to encourage and support small and medium enterprises to trade and invest across the Commonwealth. Participants in the Birmingham event included small to medium enterprises (SMEs), local authority government representatives, and HE Kena Mphonda, Malawi High Commissioner to the UK. CWIEC chairman Lord Marland said: “At a
time when trade is under the spotlight, it is encouraging to see such high-quality export- ready small businesses coming forward to take part in this ambitious programme.”
24 CHAMBERLINK June 2017
Putting the Commonwealth first: Selim Ozturk (Turkish Airlines), Martin Levermore (Medical Devices Technology International), Helen Bellamy-Booth, (Royal Mail), HE Kena Mphonda, David Winstanley (Birmingham Airport), Richard Burge, (CWIEC) and Keith Stokes-Smith (chairman of Birmingham Commonwealth Association)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
