iWorld
ZEE5 Global kickstarts its partnership with LuLu in the Middle East with their “Celebrating India” Festival
ZEE5 Global has kickstarted its partnership with LuLu, the top retailer in the Middle East, by powering their bi-annual Indian-themed festival “Celebrating India” rolling out across its stores in the UAE, coinciding with the Indian Independence Day. The week-long festival will highlight food, offers, cultural shows and celebrity visits from 14th to 20th August 2019.
The festival was inaugurated by H.E. Navdeep Suri, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, alongside Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer of ZEE5 Global, the official partners of this promotion, Saifee Rupawala, LuLu Group Chief Executive Officer and other top officials and government authorities at LuLu Hypermarket Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi.
H.E. Suri shared: “This is a wonderful initiative by LuLu in showcasing the rich culture and food heritage of India. I am looking forward to welcoming the residents and citizens of UAE to come and explore the delicious flavours of India. I am sure these products will be highly appreciated not only by Indian nationals, but also the local and other expat communities residing here.”
Commenting on the partnership, Archana Anand said: “With a huge demand for Bollywood and Indian content from not only the South Asian diaspora but also mainstream audiences, and a highly conducive digital and payment ecosystem, the Middle East is an extremely exciting market for us. As the largest retail conglomerate in the Middle East, LuLu has an extremely strong presence in the market and our partnership with them will help us reach our fabulous content bouquet to audiences in this market. I’m thrilled to be here today at the inauguration of the Celebrating India Festival, which marks the first step of this partnership.”
Powered by ZEE5, the global entertainment app for the best of Bollywood movies, Indian TV shows and more, LuLu gives customers a chance to join and win a free annual subscription of ZEE5 for every AED 50 purchase. LuLu customers will also have access to the latest movie releases exclusively on ZEE5, and a chance to meet with their favourite stars.
Speaking on the occasion, Rupawala said: “We have always taken pride for showcasing the beauty and diversity of Indian culture through a festival like “Celebrating India”. This is our humble tribute to the glorious tradition, food and offerings of India, which have been widely popular and embraced by the UAE population with more than 200 nationalities residing in it. More than 5 Million shoppers are expected to experience India through this festival. Other than the wide product range that we offer in store, this is our initiative to bind together all communities for a common interest.”
e-commerce
Visa report tracks rise of India’s affluent, experience-led spending
Affluent base doubles to 130 lakh, travel 58 per cent of elite spends.
MUMBAI: In India’s new luxury playbook, it’s less about owning more and more about living better. A new whitepaper by Visa Consulting and Analytics (VCA) maps a decisive shift in India’s affluent economy, where spending is becoming more intentional, experience-led, and closely tied to personal identity rather than pure income growth.
Titled India’s Affluent Economy 2025–2026, the report draws on a Visa-commissioned Yougov study and VisaNet data across travel, dining, retail and lifestyle categories. The headline number is hard to miss: individuals earning over Rs 10 lakh annually have nearly doubled from 69 lakh to 130 lakh, significantly expanding the country’s discretionary spending base.
But it’s not just about scale, it’s about behaviour. As consumers move up the affluence ladder, discretionary categories are taking a larger share of credit card spends, positioning cards as key enablers of premium, lifestyle-driven consumption.
The geography of wealth is shifting too. Affluence is no longer confined to metros such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, with cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Jaipur and Lucknow increasingly mirroring metro consumption patterns.
The report highlights a clear pivot from ownership to access. More than 50 per cent of affluent consumers now use cards for elite memberships, while 7 in 10 are drawn to limited-edition drops and curated collections. Increasingly, luxury is defined by seamless access be it concierge-led travel or curated dining where time saved is as valuable as money spent.
Spending patterns reinforce this shift. Among the ultra-elite, travel accounts for 58 per cent of discretionary spends, far outpacing retail and luxury combined at 28 per cent. Cross-border spending penetration stands at 63 per cent, signalling a growing global outlook among India’s affluent.
Closer home, indulgence is becoming routine. Nearly 4 in 5 affluent consumers dine at premium establishments at least three times a year, while 1 in 4 visit luxury venues more than five times annually. Dining spends are also climbing, with Rs 20,000 emerging as a new entry-level benchmark per experience and Rs 50,000 marking premium territory.
Retail, meanwhile, is becoming more selective. Three in four affluent consumers make a high-end purchase at least once a quarter, while one in four shops premium every two weeks. Luxury retail intensity is also rising, with 2 in 5 consumers spending over Rs 5 lakh annually, and a smaller but significant segment exceeding Rs 10 lakh.
Technology and wellness are carving out new roles in this ecosystem. High-end gadgets now see average spends of Rs 60,000 or more per purchase, while ultra-elite consumers are eight times more likely to visit spas and show five times higher engagement with cosmetic stores than non-affluent groups.
The broader takeaway is structural. Affluent consumers are no longer buying products, they are buying ecosystems. Integrated experiences across travel, dining, wellness and payments are becoming central to how this segment lives and spends.
As India’s affluent base expands beyond metros and aligns more closely with global consumption patterns, the real opportunity lies not just in size, but in speed. For brands, the message is clear: relevance will be defined by how early and how seamlessly, they plug into this evolving lifestyle economy.
