|*The gems and jewellery business has several entrepreneurs who have made a distinct mark on the industry. While their name and fame is spread far and wide in India and, in many cases abroad as well, it is the business persona that most people are aware of. With this feature, {{Indian Jeweller}} launches yet another series – the man behind the legend, personal profiles of leading lights of this industry. We kick off the series by profiling {{Joy Alukkas}}, the man with the legendary golden touch and who has built a retail empire in India and the Middle East.*| %% |*A man with a singular focus, Joy Alukkas decided early in life that he would go on establish himself as one of the biggest jewellers in the world. His early decision backed by the dedication and hard work has led to the realization of his dream, and he continues to expand his boundaries with one showroom after the other. Though business is his core interest, Alukkas is a man of many parts and combines a thorough grasp of the business with an interest in some other areas, music being one of the primary ones. Presenting, Joy Alukkas, the visionary, the entrepreneur and the man.*| %% He is the head of a group with a turnover of over US$ 1 billion. He has more than 80 jewellery showrooms, 10 million customers, and 3000 employees spread across eight countries, India, UK, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Joy Alukkas and his group have received much recognition and several awards, including the Dubai Quality Awards Certification from H.H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. the UAE. %% But the Joyalukkas Group’s story began in a small 200 sq ft jewellery shop in Trichur in central Kerala, set up way back in 1956 by Joy’s father Varghese Alukkas, Joy’s father, who was also in the business of producing and selling umbrellas. %% Joy Alukkas still has early memories of that shop. “The first time I set foot in my father’s small jewellery shop I decided in my mind that I would be the biggest jeweller in the world one day,” reminisces. He continues to explain, “This is where the Joyalukkas vision of ‘Ornamenting the world’ and the tagline of being the ‘world’s favourite jeweller comes from. I am determined and steadily moving on this path and with the blessing of god, support of my family, my fantastic employees and valued customers this surely is possible.” %% Growing up in Trichur in a large family Alukkas has joyful and happy memories of his early life. “Yes we had our ups and downs like every family but my mother and father ensured it never affected us,” says Alukkas remembering those days. %% Looking back, the one thing that stands out in his mind, is that he has always had an interest in business. “My father was very passionate about business and this seems to be my passion too,” he says. “My main interest was always business, I still remember wherever I got the time and opportunity since the time I was a little kid I would go to my father’s umbrella factory to help in every way I could. I also remember once I volunteered to go and deliver umbrellas when our workers were not around and one of the retailers needed delivery of umbrellas urgently. Other than this I was a normal kid enjoying all sorts of sports and I also loved and continue to love music.”

When it was time for Alukkas to enter the business, it was the UAE where he chose to go. “I had heard a lot about the gulf in my growing up years and it was always my dream to start my own venture somewhere abroad,” he says. In 1987, he set off for Dubai, with a dream in his heart and determination in his mind. “When I moved to the UAE, it was an impulse decision because this was the only place I knew where many Indians had moved to,” recounts Alukkas. “My logic was if I was moving to start a new venture let me go to a destination which had a customer profile that I knew and understood.” %% The initial years were tough and difficult, as the UAE jewellery business then was not organised, and customers had a totally different frame of mind from consumers in India. “But I kept the faith plus the support of my wife and family back home helped me cope through the difficult time,” says Alukkas spiritedly. “The difficult times helped to make me stronger and wiser in business. %% He went to the UAE on visit visa and saw immense opportunities for jewellery business in that business friendly country. So he started his first jewellery store in the UAE in 1987 and there has been no looking back ever since then. “I was the first jeweller to introduce the concept of raffle in the jewellery retail and this created a huge impact and a solid base of customers for Joyalukkas,” he remembers. “From the very beginning I realized the importance of a loyal base of customers for the success of my business and I did everything to ensure our customers kept coming back.” %% After establishing himself successfully in the UAE, and when it was time to foray further afield, he in fact decided to come back to his native land to set up shops across his own state and other places as well. In 2002, Joy Alukkas made the shift back to India, by setting up stores in his home state of Kerala. Soon he started expanding in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi. Looking back on that decision, he says, “What brought me to India was a combination of my roots and the business opportunity it offered. In India there was no concept of organized jewellery retailing and I thought my leanings from an exciting and hugely evolved retail market like Dubai could help change the face of the Indian jewellery business.” %% Since then, he has consistently kept up the momentum and over the last 5 years has opened approximately 10 new showrooms per year across India and GCC. The global retail chain had 80 showrooms in July 2010 with the opening of its store in Bengaluru, and since then he has added a few more, the latest being in Mangalore. Joyalukkas Jewellery aims at having 100 showrooms around the world by the end 2011.

The singular vision for expansion and growth is achored upon a base of commitment t quality and professionalism within the business which springs from Alukkas’ own worldview. As a result, Joyalukkas Jewellery was the first jewellery retailer to be awarded the prestigious ISO 9001:2008 and 14001:2004 certification. This was only the beginning for the series of achievements that followed. The most recent is The Highest VAT Paying Jewellery Group Award received from the Kerala Gem and Jewellery Show & The Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Kerala. %% Also embedded in his personal philosophy is a commitment to the less fortunate. The Joyalukkas Group has always believed that people and the community within which it operates are the cornerstones for its success and as such is actively involved in CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities across various states in India. The company consistently undertakes various programmes to help the needy and encourage causes that benefit society. From building homes to helping flood victims or helping expats reach back home when they require financial assistance, the Group has always believed in being there when needed the most. %% But away from the business world, his greatest joy is to be with his family – wife Jolly Joy, my son John Paul Joy Alukkas who is now a director and actively involved in the day to business and my two daughters Mary Jeny Joy Alukkas & Elsa Joy Alukkas who are currently studying. “Spending time with my family relaxes me in a big way,” he says disarmingly. Watching TV whenever he is free, Alukkas, also finds music most relaxing, and likes “humming songs. “I am a little more than a bathroom singer,” he says with candid pride, “people who have heard me say I have a decent voice.” %% Looking back he says that the jewellery business has changed in many ways. “It has become a lot more evolved and demanding,” says Alukkas. “‘Trust’ is the key to building a loyal base in the jewellery business and this is the foundation of Joyalukkas.” %% For a man who has achieved so much in a relatively short span of about 24 years, Alukkas is a modest man, with a simple credo: “If you are determined enough you can be whatever you want to be,” he says with simplicity. “I am very positive and stay focused on the path I have dreamed of pursuing.”

{{Group Factfile}}%% {[The Joyalukkas group operates over 80 stores across eight different countries]} {[Joyalukkas operates the world's biggest jewellery showroom in Chennai which also houses the India’s first and most unique Diamond Cave]} {[Joyalukkas was presented the Dubai Quality Awards certification by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. ]} {[Joyalukkas is actively involved in various Corporate Social Activities on a global level ]} {[Won the Best TV Campaign of the Year and the Best 360 degree marketing award of the year by the Retail Jewellery Award in August 2009 at Mumbai]} {[Apart from business excellence Joyalukkas is also recognized for its contribution to social causes through it’s MY 0.50 programme within the corporate world. Joyalukkas received the memento in appreciation to the support extended as an official sponsor of the programme]} {[Joyalukkas, has credibly underlined their premium status in jewellery customer's minds by winning the prestigious Consumers Choice Award 2008 initiated by Retail jeweller India in association with Dimexon]} {[Joyalukkas has bagged the "Best Service Performance Brand", Medium business category, Jan-March 2006 and DSES recognises Joyalukkas jewellery as a new valued member of DSES (Dubai Service Excellence Scheme). This award was given by the Dubai Economic Department for the first quarter of the year 2006]} {[Joyalukkas group has entered the realm of Wedding Centres that fulfil all needs of traditional Indian weddings]} {[ ‘Big Joyalukkas ’ located in Bur Dubai, Dubai, UAE, is the biggest jewellery showroom in the Middle east]} {[Joyalukkas has won the Middle-East retailer of the year award from Retail ME]}

|*The gems and jewellery business has several entrepreneurs who have made a distinct mark on the industry. While their name and fame is spread far and wide in India and, in many cases abroad as well, it is the business persona that most people are aware of. With this feature, {{Indian Jeweller}} launches yet another series – the man behind the legend, personal profiles of leading lights of this industry. We kick off the series by profiling {{Joy Alukkas}}, the man with the legendary golden touch and who has built a retail empire in India and the Middle East.*| %% |*A man with a singular focus, Joy Alukkas decided early in life that he would go on establish himself as one of the biggest jewellers in the world. His early decision backed by the dedication and hard work has led to the realization of his dream, and he continues to expand his boundaries with one showroom after the other. Though business is his core interest, Alukkas is a man of many parts and combines a thorough grasp of the business with an interest in some other areas, music being one of the primary ones. Presenting, Joy Alukkas, the visionary, the entrepreneur and the man.*| %% He is the head of a group with a turnover of over US$ 1 billion. He has more than 80 jewellery showrooms, 10 million customers, and 3000 employees spread across eight countries, India, UK, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Joy Alukkas and his group have received much recognition and several awards, including the Dubai Quality Awards Certification from H.H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. the UAE. %% But the Joyalukkas Group’s story began in a small 200 sq ft jewellery shop in Trichur in central Kerala, set up way back in 1956 by Joy’s father Varghese Alukkas, Joy’s father, who was also in the business of producing and selling umbrellas. %% Joy Alukkas still has early memories of that shop. “The first time I set foot in my father’s small jewellery shop I decided in my mind that I would be the biggest jeweller in the world one day,” reminisces. He continues to explain, “This is where the Joyalukkas vision of ‘Ornamenting the world’ and the tagline of being the ‘world’s favourite jeweller comes from. I am determined and steadily moving on this path and with the blessing of god, support of my family, my fantastic employees and valued customers this surely is possible.” %% Growing up in Trichur in a large family Alukkas has joyful and happy memories of his early life. “Yes we had our ups and downs like every family but my mother and father ensured it never affected us,” says Alukkas remembering those days. %% Looking back, the one thing that stands out in his mind, is that he has always had an interest in business. “My father was very passionate about business and this seems to be my passion too,” he says. “My main interest was always business, I still remember wherever I got the time and opportunity since the time I was a little kid I would go to my father’s umbrella factory to help in every way I could. I also remember once I volunteered to go and deliver umbrellas when our workers were not around and one of the retailers needed delivery of umbrellas urgently. Other than this I was a normal kid enjoying all sorts of sports and I also loved and continue to love music.”

When it was time for Alukkas to enter the business, it was the UAE where he chose to go. “I had heard a lot about the gulf in my growing up years and it was always my dream to start my own venture somewhere abroad,” he says. In 1987, he set off for Dubai, with a dream in his heart and determination in his mind. “When I moved to the UAE, it was an impulse decision because this was the only place I knew where many Indians had moved to,” recounts Alukkas. “My logic was if I was moving to start a new venture let me go to a destination which had a customer profile that I knew and understood.” %% The initial years were tough and difficult, as the UAE jewellery business then was not organised, and customers had a totally different frame of mind from consumers in India. “But I kept the faith plus the support of my wife and family back home helped me cope through the difficult time,” says Alukkas spiritedly. “The difficult times helped to make me stronger and wiser in business. %% He went to the UAE on visit visa and saw immense opportunities for jewellery business in that business friendly country. So he started his first jewellery store in the UAE in 1987 and there has been no looking back ever since then. “I was the first jeweller to introduce the concept of raffle in the jewellery retail and this created a huge impact and a solid base of customers for Joyalukkas,” he remembers. “From the very beginning I realized the importance of a loyal base of customers for the success of my business and I did everything to ensure our customers kept coming back.” %% After establishing himself successfully in the UAE, and when it was time to foray further afield, he in fact decided to come back to his native land to set up shops across his own state and other places as well. In 2002, Joy Alukkas made the shift back to India, by setting up stores in his home state of Kerala. Soon he started expanding in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi. Looking back on that decision, he says, “What brought me to India was a combination of my roots and the business opportunity it offered. In India there was no concept of organized jewellery retailing and I thought my leanings from an exciting and hugely evolved retail market like Dubai could help change the face of the Indian jewellery business.” %% Since then, he has consistently kept up the momentum and over the last 5 years has opened approximately 10 new showrooms per year across India and GCC. The global retail chain had 80 showrooms in July 2010 with the opening of its store in Bengaluru, and since then he has added a few more, the latest being in Mangalore. Joyalukkas Jewellery aims at having 100 showrooms around the world by the end 2011.

The singular vision for expansion and growth is achored upon a base of commitment t quality and professionalism within the business which springs from Alukkas’ own worldview. As a result, Joyalukkas Jewellery was the first jewellery retailer to be awarded the prestigious ISO 9001:2008 and 14001:2004 certification. This was only the beginning for the series of achievements that followed. The most recent is The Highest VAT Paying Jewellery Group Award received from the Kerala Gem and Jewellery Show & The Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Kerala. %% Also embedded in his personal philosophy is a commitment to the less fortunate. The Joyalukkas Group has always believed that people and the community within which it operates are the cornerstones for its success and as such is actively involved in CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities across various states in India. The company consistently undertakes various programmes to help the needy and encourage causes that benefit society. From building homes to helping flood victims or helping expats reach back home when they require financial assistance, the Group has always believed in being there when needed the most. %% But away from the business world, his greatest joy is to be with his family – wife Jolly Joy, my son John Paul Joy Alukkas who is now a director and actively involved in the day to business and my two daughters Mary Jeny Joy Alukkas & Elsa Joy Alukkas who are currently studying. “Spending time with my family relaxes me in a big way,” he says disarmingly. Watching TV whenever he is free, Alukkas, also finds music most relaxing, and likes “humming songs. “I am a little more than a bathroom singer,” he says with candid pride, “people who have heard me say I have a decent voice.” %% Looking back he says that the jewellery business has changed in many ways. “It has become a lot more evolved and demanding,” says Alukkas. “‘Trust’ is the key to building a loyal base in the jewellery business and this is the foundation of Joyalukkas.” %% For a man who has achieved so much in a relatively short span of about 24 years, Alukkas is a modest man, with a simple credo: “If you are determined enough you can be whatever you want to be,” he says with simplicity. “I am very positive and stay focused on the path I have dreamed of pursuing.”

{{Group Factfile}}%% {[The Joyalukkas group operates over 80 stores across eight different countries]} {[Joyalukkas operates the world's biggest jewellery showroom in Chennai which also houses the India’s first and most unique Diamond Cave]} {[Joyalukkas was presented the Dubai Quality Awards certification by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. ]} {[Joyalukkas is actively involved in various Corporate Social Activities on a global level ]} {[Won the Best TV Campaign of the Year and the Best 360 degree marketing award of the year by the Retail Jewellery Award in August 2009 at Mumbai]} {[Apart from business excellence Joyalukkas is also recognized for its contribution to social causes through it’s MY 0.50 programme within the corporate world. Joyalukkas received the memento in appreciation to the support extended as an official sponsor of the programme]} {[Joyalukkas, has credibly underlined their premium status in jewellery customer's minds by winning the prestigious Consumers Choice Award 2008 initiated by Retail jeweller India in association with Dimexon]} {[Joyalukkas has bagged the "Best Service Performance Brand", Medium business category, Jan-March 2006 and DSES recognises Joyalukkas jewellery as a new valued member of DSES (Dubai Service Excellence Scheme). This award was given by the Dubai Economic Department for the first quarter of the year 2006]} {[Joyalukkas group has entered the realm of Wedding Centres that fulfil all needs of traditional Indian weddings]} {[ ‘Big Joyalukkas ’ located in Bur Dubai, Dubai, UAE, is the biggest jewellery showroom in the Middle east]} {[Joyalukkas has won the Middle-East retailer of the year award from Retail ME]}

|*The gems and jewellery business has several entrepreneurs who have made a distinct mark on the industry. While their name and fame is spread far and wide in India and, in many cases abroad as well, it is the business persona that most people are aware of. With this feature, {{Indian Jeweller}} launches yet another series – the man behind the legend, personal profiles of leading lights of this industry. We kick off the series by profiling {{Joy Alukkas}}, the man with the legendary golden touch and who has built a retail empire in India and the Middle East.*| %% |*A man with a singular focus, Joy Alukkas decided early in life that he would go on establish himself as one of the biggest jewellers in the world. His early decision backed by the dedication and hard work has led to the realization of his dream, and he continues to expand his boundaries with one showroom after the other. Though business is his core interest, Alukkas is a man of many parts and combines a thorough grasp of the business with an interest in some other areas, music being one of the primary ones. Presenting, Joy Alukkas, the visionary, the entrepreneur and the man.*| %% He is the head of a group with a turnover of over US$ 1 billion. He has more than 80 jewellery showrooms, 10 million customers, and 3000 employees spread across eight countries, India, UK, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Joy Alukkas and his group have received much recognition and several awards, including the Dubai Quality Awards Certification from H.H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. the UAE. %% But the Joyalukkas Group’s story began in a small 200 sq ft jewellery shop in Trichur in central Kerala, set up way back in 1956 by Joy’s father Varghese Alukkas, Joy’s father, who was also in the business of producing and selling umbrellas. %% Joy Alukkas still has early memories of that shop. “The first time I set foot in my father’s small jewellery shop I decided in my mind that I would be the biggest jeweller in the world one day,” reminisces. He continues to explain, “This is where the Joyalukkas vision of ‘Ornamenting the world’ and the tagline of being the ‘world’s favourite jeweller comes from. I am determined and steadily moving on this path and with the blessing of god, support of my family, my fantastic employees and valued customers this surely is possible.” %% Growing up in Trichur in a large family Alukkas has joyful and happy memories of his early life. “Yes we had our ups and downs like every family but my mother and father ensured it never affected us,” says Alukkas remembering those days. %% Looking back, the one thing that stands out in his mind, is that he has always had an interest in business. “My father was very passionate about business and this seems to be my passion too,” he says. “My main interest was always business, I still remember wherever I got the time and opportunity since the time I was a little kid I would go to my father’s umbrella factory to help in every way I could. I also remember once I volunteered to go and deliver umbrellas when our workers were not around and one of the retailers needed delivery of umbrellas urgently. Other than this I was a normal kid enjoying all sorts of sports and I also loved and continue to love music.”

When it was time for Alukkas to enter the business, it was the UAE where he chose to go. “I had heard a lot about the gulf in my growing up years and it was always my dream to start my own venture somewhere abroad,” he says. In 1987, he set off for Dubai, with a dream in his heart and determination in his mind. “When I moved to the UAE, it was an impulse decision because this was the only place I knew where many Indians had moved to,” recounts Alukkas. “My logic was if I was moving to start a new venture let me go to a destination which had a customer profile that I knew and understood.” %% The initial years were tough and difficult, as the UAE jewellery business then was not organised, and customers had a totally different frame of mind from consumers in India. “But I kept the faith plus the support of my wife and family back home helped me cope through the difficult time,” says Alukkas spiritedly. “The difficult times helped to make me stronger and wiser in business. %% He went to the UAE on visit visa and saw immense opportunities for jewellery business in that business friendly country. So he started his first jewellery store in the UAE in 1987 and there has been no looking back ever since then. “I was the first jeweller to introduce the concept of raffle in the jewellery retail and this created a huge impact and a solid base of customers for Joyalukkas,” he remembers. “From the very beginning I realized the importance of a loyal base of customers for the success of my business and I did everything to ensure our customers kept coming back.” %% After establishing himself successfully in the UAE, and when it was time to foray further afield, he in fact decided to come back to his native land to set up shops across his own state and other places as well. In 2002, Joy Alukkas made the shift back to India, by setting up stores in his home state of Kerala. Soon he started expanding in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi. Looking back on that decision, he says, “What brought me to India was a combination of my roots and the business opportunity it offered. In India there was no concept of organized jewellery retailing and I thought my leanings from an exciting and hugely evolved retail market like Dubai could help change the face of the Indian jewellery business.” %% Since then, he has consistently kept up the momentum and over the last 5 years has opened approximately 10 new showrooms per year across India and GCC. The global retail chain had 80 showrooms in July 2010 with the opening of its store in Bengaluru, and since then he has added a few more, the latest being in Mangalore. Joyalukkas Jewellery aims at having 100 showrooms around the world by the end 2011.

The singular vision for expansion and growth is achored upon a base of commitment t quality and professionalism within the business which springs from Alukkas’ own worldview. As a result, Joyalukkas Jewellery was the first jewellery retailer to be awarded the prestigious ISO 9001:2008 and 14001:2004 certification. This was only the beginning for the series of achievements that followed. The most recent is The Highest VAT Paying Jewellery Group Award received from the Kerala Gem and Jewellery Show & The Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Kerala. %% Also embedded in his personal philosophy is a commitment to the less fortunate. The Joyalukkas Group has always believed that people and the community within which it operates are the cornerstones for its success and as such is actively involved in CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities across various states in India. The company consistently undertakes various programmes to help the needy and encourage causes that benefit society. From building homes to helping flood victims or helping expats reach back home when they require financial assistance, the Group has always believed in being there when needed the most. %% But away from the business world, his greatest joy is to be with his family – wife Jolly Joy, my son John Paul Joy Alukkas who is now a director and actively involved in the day to business and my two daughters Mary Jeny Joy Alukkas & Elsa Joy Alukkas who are currently studying. “Spending time with my family relaxes me in a big way,” he says disarmingly. Watching TV whenever he is free, Alukkas, also finds music most relaxing, and likes “humming songs. “I am a little more than a bathroom singer,” he says with candid pride, “people who have heard me say I have a decent voice.” %% Looking back he says that the jewellery business has changed in many ways. “It has become a lot more evolved and demanding,” says Alukkas. “‘Trust’ is the key to building a loyal base in the jewellery business and this is the foundation of Joyalukkas.” %% For a man who has achieved so much in a relatively short span of about 24 years, Alukkas is a modest man, with a simple credo: “If you are determined enough you can be whatever you want to be,” he says with simplicity. “I am very positive and stay focused on the path I have dreamed of pursuing.”

{{Group Factfile}}%% {[The Joyalukkas group operates over 80 stores across eight different countries]} {[Joyalukkas operates the world's biggest jewellery showroom in Chennai which also houses the India’s first and most unique Diamond Cave]} {[Joyalukkas was presented the Dubai Quality Awards certification by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. ]} {[Joyalukkas is actively involved in various Corporate Social Activities on a global level ]} {[Won the Best TV Campaign of the Year and the Best 360 degree marketing award of the year by the Retail Jewellery Award in August 2009 at Mumbai]} {[Apart from business excellence Joyalukkas is also recognized for its contribution to social causes through it’s MY 0.50 programme within the corporate world. Joyalukkas received the memento in appreciation to the support extended as an official sponsor of the programme]} {[Joyalukkas, has credibly underlined their premium status in jewellery customer's minds by winning the prestigious Consumers Choice Award 2008 initiated by Retail jeweller India in association with Dimexon]} {[Joyalukkas has bagged the "Best Service Performance Brand", Medium business category, Jan-March 2006 and DSES recognises Joyalukkas jewellery as a new valued member of DSES (Dubai Service Excellence Scheme). This award was given by the Dubai Economic Department for the first quarter of the year 2006]} {[Joyalukkas group has entered the realm of Wedding Centres that fulfil all needs of traditional Indian weddings]} {[ ‘Big Joyalukkas ’ located in Bur Dubai, Dubai, UAE, is the biggest jewellery showroom in the Middle east]} {[Joyalukkas has won the Middle-East retailer of the year award from Retail ME]}

|*The gems and jewellery business has several entrepreneurs who have made a distinct mark on the industry. While their name and fame is spread far and wide in India and, in many cases abroad as well, it is the business persona that most people are aware of. With this feature, {{Indian Jeweller}} launches yet another series – the man behind the legend, personal profiles of leading lights of this industry. We kick off the series by profiling {{Joy Alukkas}}, the man with the legendary golden touch and who has built a retail empire in India and the Middle East.*| %% |*A man with a singular focus, Joy Alukkas decided early in life that he would go on establish himself as one of the biggest jewellers in the world. His early decision backed by the dedication and hard work has led to the realization of his dream, and he continues to expand his boundaries with one showroom after the other. Though business is his core interest, Alukkas is a man of many parts and combines a thorough grasp of the business with an interest in some other areas, music being one of the primary ones. Presenting, Joy Alukkas, the visionary, the entrepreneur and the man.*| %% He is the head of a group with a turnover of over US$ 1 billion. He has more than 80 jewellery showrooms, 10 million customers, and 3000 employees spread across eight countries, India, UK, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Joy Alukkas and his group have received much recognition and several awards, including the Dubai Quality Awards Certification from H.H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. the UAE. %% But the Joyalukkas Group’s story began in a small 200 sq ft jewellery shop in Trichur in central Kerala, set up way back in 1956 by Joy’s father Varghese Alukkas, Joy’s father, who was also in the business of producing and selling umbrellas. %% Joy Alukkas still has early memories of that shop. “The first time I set foot in my father’s small jewellery shop I decided in my mind that I would be the biggest jeweller in the world one day,” reminisces. He continues to explain, “This is where the Joyalukkas vision of ‘Ornamenting the world’ and the tagline of being the ‘world’s favourite jeweller comes from. I am determined and steadily moving on this path and with the blessing of god, support of my family, my fantastic employees and valued customers this surely is possible.” %% Growing up in Trichur in a large family Alukkas has joyful and happy memories of his early life. “Yes we had our ups and downs like every family but my mother and father ensured it never affected us,” says Alukkas remembering those days. %% Looking back, the one thing that stands out in his mind, is that he has always had an interest in business. “My father was very passionate about business and this seems to be my passion too,” he says. “My main interest was always business, I still remember wherever I got the time and opportunity since the time I was a little kid I would go to my father’s umbrella factory to help in every way I could. I also remember once I volunteered to go and deliver umbrellas when our workers were not around and one of the retailers needed delivery of umbrellas urgently. Other than this I was a normal kid enjoying all sorts of sports and I also loved and continue to love music.”

When it was time for Alukkas to enter the business, it was the UAE where he chose to go. “I had heard a lot about the gulf in my growing up years and it was always my dream to start my own venture somewhere abroad,” he says. In 1987, he set off for Dubai, with a dream in his heart and determination in his mind. “When I moved to the UAE, it was an impulse decision because this was the only place I knew where many Indians had moved to,” recounts Alukkas. “My logic was if I was moving to start a new venture let me go to a destination which had a customer profile that I knew and understood.” %% The initial years were tough and difficult, as the UAE jewellery business then was not organised, and customers had a totally different frame of mind from consumers in India. “But I kept the faith plus the support of my wife and family back home helped me cope through the difficult time,” says Alukkas spiritedly. “The difficult times helped to make me stronger and wiser in business. %% He went to the UAE on visit visa and saw immense opportunities for jewellery business in that business friendly country. So he started his first jewellery store in the UAE in 1987 and there has been no looking back ever since then. “I was the first jeweller to introduce the concept of raffle in the jewellery retail and this created a huge impact and a solid base of customers for Joyalukkas,” he remembers. “From the very beginning I realized the importance of a loyal base of customers for the success of my business and I did everything to ensure our customers kept coming back.” %% After establishing himself successfully in the UAE, and when it was time to foray further afield, he in fact decided to come back to his native land to set up shops across his own state and other places as well. In 2002, Joy Alukkas made the shift back to India, by setting up stores in his home state of Kerala. Soon he started expanding in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi. Looking back on that decision, he says, “What brought me to India was a combination of my roots and the business opportunity it offered. In India there was no concept of organized jewellery retailing and I thought my leanings from an exciting and hugely evolved retail market like Dubai could help change the face of the Indian jewellery business.” %% Since then, he has consistently kept up the momentum and over the last 5 years has opened approximately 10 new showrooms per year across India and GCC. The global retail chain had 80 showrooms in July 2010 with the opening of its store in Bengaluru, and since then he has added a few more, the latest being in Mangalore. Joyalukkas Jewellery aims at having 100 showrooms around the world by the end 2011.

The singular vision for expansion and growth is achored upon a base of commitment t quality and professionalism within the business which springs from Alukkas’ own worldview. As a result, Joyalukkas Jewellery was the first jewellery retailer to be awarded the prestigious ISO 9001:2008 and 14001:2004 certification. This was only the beginning for the series of achievements that followed. The most recent is The Highest VAT Paying Jewellery Group Award received from the Kerala Gem and Jewellery Show & The Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Kerala. %% Also embedded in his personal philosophy is a commitment to the less fortunate. The Joyalukkas Group has always believed that people and the community within which it operates are the cornerstones for its success and as such is actively involved in CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities across various states in India. The company consistently undertakes various programmes to help the needy and encourage causes that benefit society. From building homes to helping flood victims or helping expats reach back home when they require financial assistance, the Group has always believed in being there when needed the most. %% But away from the business world, his greatest joy is to be with his family – wife Jolly Joy, my son John Paul Joy Alukkas who is now a director and actively involved in the day to business and my two daughters Mary Jeny Joy Alukkas & Elsa Joy Alukkas who are currently studying. “Spending time with my family relaxes me in a big way,” he says disarmingly. Watching TV whenever he is free, Alukkas, also finds music most relaxing, and likes “humming songs. “I am a little more than a bathroom singer,” he says with candid pride, “people who have heard me say I have a decent voice.” %% Looking back he says that the jewellery business has changed in many ways. “It has become a lot more evolved and demanding,” says Alukkas. “‘Trust’ is the key to building a loyal base in the jewellery business and this is the foundation of Joyalukkas.” %% For a man who has achieved so much in a relatively short span of about 24 years, Alukkas is a modest man, with a simple credo: “If you are determined enough you can be whatever you want to be,” he says with simplicity. “I am very positive and stay focused on the path I have dreamed of pursuing.”

{{Group Factfile}}%% {[The Joyalukkas group operates over 80 stores across eight different countries]} {[Joyalukkas operates the world's biggest jewellery showroom in Chennai which also houses the India’s first and most unique Diamond Cave]} {[Joyalukkas was presented the Dubai Quality Awards certification by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. ]} {[Joyalukkas is actively involved in various Corporate Social Activities on a global level ]} {[Won the Best TV Campaign of the Year and the Best 360 degree marketing award of the year by the Retail Jewellery Award in August 2009 at Mumbai]} {[Apart from business excellence Joyalukkas is also recognized for its contribution to social causes through it’s MY 0.50 programme within the corporate world. Joyalukkas received the memento in appreciation to the support extended as an official sponsor of the programme]} {[Joyalukkas, has credibly underlined their premium status in jewellery customer's minds by winning the prestigious Consumers Choice Award 2008 initiated by Retail jeweller India in association with Dimexon]} {[Joyalukkas has bagged the "Best Service Performance Brand", Medium business category, Jan-March 2006 and DSES recognises Joyalukkas jewellery as a new valued member of DSES (Dubai Service Excellence Scheme). This award was given by the Dubai Economic Department for the first quarter of the year 2006]} {[Joyalukkas group has entered the realm of Wedding Centres that fulfil all needs of traditional Indian weddings]} {[ ‘Big Joyalukkas ’ located in Bur Dubai, Dubai, UAE, is the biggest jewellery showroom in the Middle east]} {[Joyalukkas has won the Middle-East retailer of the year award from Retail ME]}