After the studies he left India in 1973 to Abu Dhabi where his uncle, MK Abdullah, the Chairman and the founder of the EMKE Group of companies was doing business.

He developed the import and wholesale distribution of the group and ventured in to the supermarket business by launching Lulu Hypermarket.

He started his first Lulu Hypermarket in 1990.

While the entry of Continent (now Carrefour) in 1995 changed the face of retail business in Dubai, Yusuffali took charge of Abu Dhabi's retail sector by rolling out LuLu Hypermarket in Abu Dhabi.

LuLu Hypermarket opens 114th store at Al Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

LuLu Group, with its 34,420 strong workforce from 37 different nations and operational bases extending over the UAE, India, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, Egypt, Kenya, Benin, Tanzania, Senegal, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Cameroon, Togo, Gambia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brazil, Turkey, and United Kingdom.

Business career