The Pursuit of Versatility

Thomsun Group has grown with the foresight to diversify into new disciplines at a right time

Built on strong fundamentals, Thomsun Group is a multi-faceted and diversified entity recognised as a market leader in its field of operations today. Steered by a focused approach, strong market intelligence, attention to detail and use of modern technology, Thomsun was established in the year 1976 in Dubai by K V Thomas.

Being in the market for 45 years now, the brand has embarked on many milestones in ventures to deliver nothing less than excellence. Speaking about the evolution of the group, K V Thomas, Director at Thomsun Group elaborated the journey of the brand in the various divisions that have complimented the growth of the business.

“Thomsun started its operations in the Middle East market with base in Dubai since the last 45 years. The business ventures include seafood processing and distribution, bakery and confectionery production and distribution, and another division that handles the distribution of meat and other food products. Another vertical is electrical and mechanical solutions distribution and retail which includes distribution of world-renowned electrical solutions provider Schneider among others as well as electrical components manufacturing and distribution under the brand T Mech.”

The outstanding journey

Back in 1980, the group ventured its humble beginnings into the print and packaging industry as Al Mawrid Printing and Advertising, specialising to provide a complete service from initial design through to final product.

“Printing, the packaging is also an integral part of the group and one the initial ventures of the group. This division has grown to be the most advanced in technology in the region, which has undertaken end-to-end printing and packaging requirements of the clients and government entities in the region. Pre-press, design and display solutions constitute another arm, which provides service to the most prestigious beauty and fashion brands across the Middle East,” the Director added.

The Group then went on to extend their arm into the seafood business. As a result, East Fish Co. was inaugurated in 1989 to cater to the Middle East’s need for ready-to-eat seafood. Over the years, the company has set a benchmark by setting up an automated seafood processing plant, specialising in the procurement, processing, quality control and delivery of sustainably sourced seafood and has successfully proved them to be the market leaders in the food and beverage section as well.

The group has a presence in more than 20 core business segments, with a team of around 3,000 people. Over the years, the company has been offering its products and services to people. Today, the brand takes pride in showcasing some of the leading brands under its banner. In 1990, Thomsun Trading Establishment became the authorised distributor of the complete range of Yamaha musical and audio products in the UAE. With its online and offline stores, the company has established itself as a household name in the Middle East’s music and audio products industry.

Elaborating their journey, Thomas added: “Our electronics distribution, projects and retail division involves exclusive representation of iconic music brands in the region — Yamaha, Fender, Bosendorfer, Hohner, Rode, Adamson among others, which is complemented by music education institutes situated in the prime malls of Dubai- Ibn Battuta and Wafi.”

As UAE is the logistics hub for the region, Thomsun has established itself as a premier provider of logistics solutions with more than two decades of providing warehousing solutions, freight management, clearance and documentation

Among the recent initiatives, the group has also ventured into healthcare with clinics in Dubai. Another foray has been implemented in e-commerce of the group’s retail-based segments thereby, transforming it into an omnichannel retailer for products and offerings.

Moving ahead

The group today is present in more than twenty core business segments and has a combined turnover of $600 million. Growing by leaps and bounds with a focused purpose that supports the right business served to the right people, the group expects to widen their array of services in the coming years. “Many of the group companies continue to expand, as we expect the UAE growth story to be stronger in the future too. In terms of diversification into new sectors, we have recently set up an IT arm at Info Park, Kerala providing enterprise-based solutions to companies throughout the Middle East and beyond. As a brand, our vision is to expedite the digital and e-commerce implementation and technological advancement of the entire group.”

As one of the leading and popular business groups spanning the Gulf Countries and the Indian Subcontinent, Thomsun Group has led the pack by communicating clearly, simply to its customers, which exhibits a reason for its expansion.

Thomas further emphasised the vision of the group for the next decade.

“Our vision for coming next 10 years is to continue to expand the businesses and solutions in which we have developed core competencies over the past decades. At the same time, we want to stay connected with the customers and the market to invest in new opportunities that would be there in the Middle East and Indian markets. We are also stressing to adopt sustainable resources where possible in terms of the new and existing infrastructure investments.”

Thomsun Group has pioneered ventures within diversified business segments in the UAE, GCC and India for more than 40 years.

Lastly, Thomas also elaborated about how the Thomsun brand has grown with the support of its home country. “Being our home country, India holds great importance from an emotional connect as well as from a business point of view. The group has invested in the ever-growing real estate and retail prospects in India, Kerala with a mall, five-star hotel and apartment complex in Kochi, which would be completed during the year 2022," reiterated Thomas.