Spotlight
Lals Group
Information last updated on 18 December 2023
About the Founder and Founding Story
Lal Hariram Ganwani was born on July 16, 1941, in the city of Mirpur Khas, in modern-day Pakistan.[7] With the oil boom’s onset in the United Arab Emirates, Lal Ganwani, accompanied by his children, Jayant Ganwani and Sima Ganwani Ved, relocated to Dubai in 1975 to seek new job opportunities.[8] Four years later, he started a trading business with a single store in Ajman to support his family.[9] Lal actively engaged in all facets of the business, from inspecting goods on shelves to overseeing cashier transactions and implementing visual merchandising strategies.[10]
The subsequent decade was one of transformative changes for the business. In 1982, Lal Ganwani partnered with his brother-in-law Lachmandas Pagarani, then the CEO of Choithrams Supermarket, to establish a joint venture. The new business, Al Maya Lals, soon diversified beyond its roots in food retail, eventually extending its operations into fast-moving consumer goods distribution and non-food sectors.[11]
Growth Phase
Throughout the 1980s, the group entered into new industries and markets. In 1983, the Novelty Division of Al Maya Lals Group was established, focusing on the distribution of a range of internationally recognized products to both wholesale and retail markets across the GCC region.[12] In 1986, Jayant Ganwani, the founder’s son, entered the family business and assumed the responsibility of overseeing the group, a role he has maintained ever since, in which he pursued expansion into other GCC markets.[13] In 1988, the group founded the Food Distribution Division, servicing a variety of global food products around the region.[14]
Sima, the founder’s daughter, joined the family business after graduating with a degree in business management from King’s College London in 1992. After gaining experience with Al Maya Lals Group, she founded her own independent venture a few years later.[15] In 1996, the group opened Lamcy Plaza in Dubai, marking its inaugural venture into the shopping mall industry.[16]
In December 2003, the brothers-in-law divided the business operations and assets, resulting in two separate companies: Lals Group, under Lal’s leadership, focusing on distribution and franchising, and Al Maya, specializing in local retail stores.[17] Lachmandas delegated daily operations but remained Al Maya’s chairman until he died in 2019 at age 88.[18]
During the 2000s, the Lals Group experienced unprecedented growth. In 2003, the Home Store was inaugurated at the Madinat Zayed Centre in Abu Dhabi,[19] and two years later the group opened the Arabian Centre in Mirdif, Dubai.[20] Lals Group introduced Carter’s apparel to the GCC with its inaugural store in Dubai in 2007.[21] The turn of the decade saw the group’s entry into the fitness market, and in 2012, it took a major diversification step into the luxury real estate sector.[22]
Today
Today, the Lals Group, headquartered in Dubai, UAE, has expanded its business operations across all of the GCC countries.[23] With an estimated workforce of 4,000 employees and 190 retail outlets, the group handles renowned brands such as Homes R Us, Lamcy Plaza, Arabian Center, Carter’s, and Daiso.[24] The Lals Group is under the leadership of the second generation, with Jayant Ganwani serving as the CEO and vice chairman.[25]
Notes
Photo Credit: Lal Ganwani. Image Credit: IMAGES RetailME. Image Source: IMAGES RetailME website.
[1] About Us.” Lals Group, https://www.lalsgroup.com/aboutus. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Halligan, Neil. “Picking up the pace: Lals Group’s Jayant Ganwani.” Arabian Business, 15 May 2015, https://www.arabianbusiness.com/gcc/picking-up-pace-lals-group-s-jayant-ganwani-592787. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[4] Cronin, Sean. “Lals plans to open 10 Homes R Us stores in Saudi Arabia.” The National, 18 April 2015, https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/lals-plans-to-open-10-homes-r-us-stores-in-saudi-arabia-1.31275. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[5] About Us.” Lals Group.
[6] “The Zone Issue 66 – Lals Group | العدد 66 من مجلة ذا زون – مجموعة لالس.” YouTube, 31 July 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adEdJl19Eo4. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[7] “جدل واسع إثر منح الحكومة رجل أعمال هندي الجنسية الإماراتية.” Emirates71, 23 March 2021, https://emirates71.org/posts/91638. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[8] “Revealed: The 50 most powerful Indians in the Middle East.” Arabian Business, https://www.arabianbusiness.com/powerlists/revealed-the-50-most-powerful-indians-in-the-middle-east. Accessed December 2023.
Rupkatha B. “Don’t take liabilities lightly: Lal Ganwani.” Images RetailMe, 31 October 2023, https://www.imagesretailme.com/dont-take-liabilities-lightly-lal-ganwani/?vs=507. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[9] Halligan, Neil. “Picking up the pace: Lals Group’s Jayant Ganwani.”
“Sima Ganwani Ved of Apparel Group: Why We Need More Women Founders & Here Is What We Are Doing To….” Medium, 6 May 2021, https://medium.com/authority-magazine/sima-ganwani-ved-of-apparel-group-why-we-need-more-women-founders-here-is-what-we-are-doing-to-15b11321c5a8. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[10] “Sima Ganwani Ved of Apparel Group: Why We Need More Women Founders & Here Is What We Are Doing To….” Medium.
[11] Halligan, Neil. “Picking up the pace: Lals Group’s Jayant Ganwani.”
[12] “Novelty Division.” Lals Group, https://www.lalsgroup.com/brand/80/novelty-division. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[13] “DUBAI 100: 2017-58.Jayant Ganwani.” Arabian Business, https://www.arabianbusiness.com/lists/dubai-100-most-influential-people-in-emirate-675669-htmlitemid675583. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[14] “FMCG.” Lals Group, https://www.lalsgroup.com/brand/81/fmcg-division. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[15] “SIMA VED: Carrying The Legacy Forward – Womenpreneur.” Womenpreneur Middle East, 27 September 2023, https://womenpreneurme.com/sima-ved-carrying-the-legacy-forward/. Accessed 17 December 2023.
“Sima Ganwani Ved.” LinkedIn, 30 October 2023, https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesimaved/?originalSubdomain=ae. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[16] “The Zone Issue 66 – Lals Group | العدد 66 من مجلة ذا زون – مجموعة لالس.” YouTube.
[17] Rahman, Saifur. “A pioneer in Dubai’s shifting retail landscape | Business – Gulf News.” Gulf News, 6 March 2009, https://gulfnews.com/business/a-pioneer-in-dubais-shifting-retail-landscape-1.56464. Accessed 17 December 2023.
Saseendran, Sajila. “Community bids farewell to veteran Indian business leader in Dubai.” Gulf News, 4 February 2019, https://gulfnews.com/uae/community-bids-farewell-to-veteran-indian-business-leader-in-dubai-1.61866831. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[18] Ibid.
[19] “The Home Store Launches its 2nd showroom in Bahrain.” Bahrain This Week, 12 August 2018, https://www.bahrainthisweek.com/the-home-store-launches-its-2nd-showroom-in-bahrain/. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[20] Halligan, Neil. “Picking up the pace: Lals Group’s Jayant Ganwani.”
[21] “Carter’s.” Lals Group, https://www.lalsgroup.com/brand/49/carters. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[22] “Fitness 360 – Dubai.” Lals Group, https://www.lalsgroup.com/brand/71/fitness-360. Accessed 17 December 2023.
Halligan, Neil. “Picking up the pace: Lals Group’s Jayant Ganwani.”
[23] Cronin, Sean. “Lals plans to open 10 Homes R Us stores in Saudi Arabia.” The National.
About Us.” Lals Group.
[24] “Lals Group.” LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/company/lals-group/about/. Accessed 17 December 2023.
“A third generation Ganwani enters retail domain.” Images RetailMe, 20 April 2016, https://www.imagesretailme.com/a-third-generation-ganwani-enters-retail-domain/. Accessed 17 December 2023.
[25] “Lals Group CEO – Most Powerful Indians in UAE.” Lals Group, https://www.lalsgroup.com/news/details/31. Accessed 17 December 2023.
“Lals Group: From Home-Grown Franchise to Successful Retail Conglomerate – The Zone.” The Zone, 12 June 2023, https://zone.jafza.ae/en/lals-group-from-home-grown-franchise-to-successful-retail-conglomerate/. Accessed 17 December 2023.
To cite this article please use:
“Lals Group” Family Business Histories Research Project, New York University Abu Dhabi and Tharawat Family Business Forum, 13 Aug. 2024, familybusinesshistories.org/spotlights/lals-group