Registry

Does LuLu Group International support Israel?

No records found5 sources checked

We have not yet found publicly recorded donations from LuLu Group International. Absence of records does not confirm absence of support.

Filed under: Retail & supermarket chains · Companies that support Israel

Background

LuLu Group International is an Abu Dhabi-headquartered retailer founded and chaired by Indian businessman M.A. Yusuff Ali, running more than 200 LuLu Hypermarkets and malls across the GCC, Egypt, India, Malaysia and beyond, with roughly 65,000 employees; its retail arm, Lulu Retail Holdings PLC, listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange on 14 November 2024, raising about $1.72 billion in the UAE's largest IPO of that year. No recorded donations, investments, contracts, sponsorships or statements in support of Israel were found for LuLu Group, Lulu Retail Holdings or Yusuff Ali. Two claims that circulate about LuLu need precise handling. First, LuLu has never opened a store in Israel: what actually happened is that in March 2022 the Israeli business daily Globes reported — sourced to officials at Israel's Ministry of Economy and Industry, who were then courting foreign chains to add competition to the Israeli grocery market — that the ministry was in talks with LuLu about the possibility of it operating there. The report was picked up by JNS and Israel Hayom. LuLu never confirmed the talks, no agreement, investment or store followed, and the chain that did enter Israel in that push was France's Carrefour, in May 2023. Exploratory talks reported by one side, with no company confirmation and no outcome, are recorded here as background, not as evidence of support. Second, claims that LuLu stocks Israeli products in its Gulf stores circulate widely on social media; no primary document or mainstream report was found corroborating them, and the UAE's 2020 repeal of its Israel boycott law applies to the country's importers generally rather than describing any specific LuLu decision. The company's own documented act relating to the conflict runs the other way: on 12 December 2023 LuLu handed 50 tonnes of food, medicine and hygiene supplies to the Egyptian Red Crescent in Cairo for delivery into Gaza via Rafah, took part in the UAE's 'Tarahum for Gaza' campaign with collection points in its hypermarkets alongside the Emirates Red Crescent, and donated 25,000 Bahraini dinars (about $66,325) to Bahrain's Royal Humanitarian Foundation. Because LuLu Group is privately held and its listed arm reports to the ADX rather than to US regulators, the absence recorded here rests on news and official-statement review rather than on US filings.

Globes — Abu Dhabi retail giant LuLu in talks to open in Israel (March 2022) Globes — Israel woos UAE supermarket chains JNS — UAE-based retail giant LuLu negotiates operation in Israel Arab News — LuLu Group sends relief aid to Gaza (December 2023) Muscat Daily — Lulu Retail IPO oversubscribed 25 times, ADX listing November 2024

What we checked

Frequently asked questions

Did LuLu Group International donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?

No records found. We searched 5 public source types — news and official statements, nonprofit tax filings, SEC filings, and federal election records — and found no donations from LuLu Group International. The dated search log on this page shows exactly where we looked.

Where does this information come from?

Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 5 distinct sources are cited for LuLu Group International. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2026-07-30

Companies with documented support