Spreading Joy : How Joyalukkas Became the World's Favourite Jeweller

Through the 1990s, he laboured to expand the Alukkas’ footprint, opening outlets within and around the UAE.

Spreading Joy is the autobiography of jewellery billionaire Joy Alukkas. His evolution from family underdog to a tycoon in his own right, mirrors his professional journey from a part-share in a single small store to the world’s largest single-owner jewelry retail chain, with a footprint across three continents. Arriving in the United Arab Emirates in 1986, he began by setting up a trading company. The economy being at a nascent stage, it was a struggle, exacerbated by the language barrier, no pre-established rules on procurement, staffing, sales etc. He persisted and after some 18 months, opened the first ‘Alukkas’ jewelry store in Abu Dhabi, followed by another in Dubai. On 2 August 1990, the Gulf War broke out, disrupting every aspect of life. Joy left for Kerala, only to return to the Gulf a few months later with a determination to re-establish the business.