MUSCAT : Mohammed Kunhi, Founder and Chairman of Makkah Group, has been honoured with the ‘Excellence in Entrepreneurship’ Award at the fifth TAS Oman Business Awards, recognising a business journey that began from humble beginnings in Oman and grew into a retail enterprise spanning three countries.

Kunhi arrived in Oman in 1988 at the age of 26 and began his career working as a sales assistant in a vegetable shop in Seeb. After obtaining his driving licence in 1989, he moved into produce distribution before expanding into trading between the UAE and Oman.

His entrepreneurial journey took a major step forward in 1993 when he established his first cold store in Tharmad, laying the foundations for what would eventually become Makkah Group.

In 2007, Kunhi launched Makkah Hypermarket with around 150 employees, beginning a period of rapid expansion that would establish the business as a significant player in Oman’s retail sector.

Today, Makkah Hypermarket operates 34 outlets across Oman, while the group has expanded internationally with six outlets in Saudi Arabia and one outlet in Mayyil, Kerala, India.

The business has grown to employ more than 1,400 people, with 41 retail outlets across the three countries and a portfolio spanning more than 500 product categories.

The group expanded into Saudi Arabia in 2014, marking its first major international expansion, before opening an outlet in Kunhi’s hometown of Mayyil in 2022.

Its growth in Oman has also included the acquisition of three Mars Supermarket branches in Al Khuwair, Ghubrah and Seeb, further strengthening the group’s retail footprint in Muscat.

The Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award recognises Kunhi’s journey of building a business from the ground up through more than three decades of entrepreneurship, expansion and reinvestment.

His story reflects a progression from working in a vegetable shop to building a retail group employing more than 1,400 people, while maintaining Oman at the centre of his entrepreneurial journey.

Organised by The Arabian Stories (TAS), the TAS Oman Business Awards recognise businesses, entrepreneurs, leaders and achievers for excellence, innovation, leadership and impact across the Sultanate’s business landscape.

The 2026 ceremony marked the fifth edition of the awards, with 25 winners honoured across a diverse range of industries at IntercityHotel Muscat.

The event was held under the patronage of HE Khalid bin Hilal Al Maawali, Chairman of the Majlis Al Shura.