Saudi Arabia-based industrial contracting tycoon Dr Ravi Pillai is looking to acquire ‘more properties' owned by the Leela Group in India.
Dr Pillai confirmed he had entered into ‘preliminary talks' with the group in this connection, but refused to identify the properties by location.
Nor did he indicate the size of the deal. “It's too early to comment on these aspects,” Dr Pillai told Business Line on Wednesday.
Dr Pillai hit the headlines last month when he acquired the Leela, Kovalam property for Rs 500 crore.
He had entered into a separate deal that mandates that the Leela Group would run the property for the next ‘five to 10 years' and not 30, as he clarified.
He was also rumoured to be structuring a similar deal to buy the Leela beachfront luxury property in Chennai. He may not be done yet, if his ongoing talks are any indication.
In the meantime, Dr Pillai has launched ‘The Raviz', a five-star property in his hometown in neighbouring Kollam. Here too, he is toying with the idea of contracting The Leela to manage the property.
Dr Pillai began his acquisition spree from Kozhikode in north Kerala with the riverside resort ‘Kadavu'.
The serial entrepreneur is the founder-Managing Director of Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation (NSH), amongst the largest construction contractors in entire West Asia.
He had earlier revealed to Business Line his plans to enter the petrochemicals sector in India in partnership with a major petrochemicals group.
In fact, he was approached by the ‘petrochemical giant' for joint initiatives in the domestic petrochemical sector. He refused to identify the company, citing a non-disclosure agreement.
The NSH employs 60,000 people and is the largest employer of Indians in Saudi Arabia. It boasts global players such as Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Shell, ConocoPhilips, Chiyoda, Daelim and RasGas among its clients.