Joy Alukkas (67), a billionaire from Kerala, India, who is the chairman and managing director of the Joy Alukkas Group, has been garnering attention for his inspiring posts on social media.
In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Alukkas recounted an anecdote from 2000, when he was visiting a Rolls-Royce dealer in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and was considering buying a car from the company when a salesman made rude remarks to him.
“I said I wanted to see a Rolls-Royce car,” Alukkas told the salesman at the time, but the salesman, who was unaware of Alukkas's assets, responded, “No, if you want to buy a car, go to a Mitsubishi showroom and you can get one,” CNBC-TV18 quoted Alukkas as saying.
At that moment, Alucas decided to make the purchase. “And I thought… I felt embarrassed about this kind of behavior, so I decided to buy a car… the same car. And I bought it,” the businessman said.
Alkus admitted that after he bought the car, he realized that he didn't really need it. Being a smart businessman, he came up with an idea. He announced that he would give the car away to the first person to buy 500 AED worth of gold from his jewellery. Announcing such a raffle was unthinkable back in 2000, but the announcement significantly boosted the brand's image.
Over time, Alukkas has not only become one of the most renowned jewellery stores in India but has also emerged as a gold retail giant in West Asia.Today, Joy Alukkas Group has over 160 showrooms across 11 countries.
Alukkus, who is ranked 712th in Forbes magazine's 2024 list of richest people and is currently the 50th richest person in India, has since owned a number of Rolls-Royce cars, the latest being the recently purchased Cullinan.
