Lodha Group was established in 1980 by Mangal Prabhat Lodha. Abhishek Lodha, son of Mangal Prabhat Lodha is in charge of the company’s development in Mumbai.[3] Abhishek Lodha[4] graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta in the US. After his education he worked as a business strategist for the Fortune 500 companies at McKinsey and Co.
Some known projects are Lodha Bellissimo, Mumbai’s first invite-only project, and The World Towers which includes World One that will be the tallest residential only structure in the world.[5][6]
The group has made several acquisitions including the Washington House property on Altamount Road from the American Government for Rs. 341.8 crores.[7] Currently under construction, Altamount is located at the world’s ten most expensive streets per sq.ft. price for properties.[8]
In 2010, they recorded the biggest land deal in India to date by buying a plot for Rs. 4,053 crores from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, for developing a neighbourhood region called New Cuffe Parade.[9]
In 2012, they recorded the biggest land deal in Mumbai’s prime location from DLF for approximately Rs. 2,700 crores.[10] The group made its entry into United Kingdom by buying MacDonald House in Central London for 3,120 crores from the Canadian Government.[11] The company also acquired a premium site near Covent Garden in Prime Central London that took their combined investment in the United Kingdom to roughly GBP 400 million.
The group is also known for its development of Palava - India’s first greenfield smart city that is spread over 4,000 acres in Dombivli.[16] To build and manage the smart city infrastructure at Palava, Lodha has partnered with IBM and General Electric.[17] Palava launched 2014 with Amitabh Bachchan.[18]
Lodha Groups latest build in the UK is the Lincoln Square building in London[19]
To be among the world’s top real estate developers, the company has partnered with renowned architects and engineers namely WOHA, Singapore,[40] Kapadia Associates, P Landscape, Barker Mohandas, Buro Happold, Arup, Singapore, Sterling Engineering Consultancy Pvt. Ltd and several others.[41]
In September 2007, Deutsche Bank invested Rs. 1,640 crores by subscribing to the company’s compulsorily convertible debentures of Lodha’s subsidiary Cowtown Land Development.[42]
Corporate social responsibility is undertaken by the Lodha group’s social initiative wing- Lodha Foundation. Established in the year 2007, Lodha Foundation’s focus areas include health, education and livelihood development. These developmental initiatives are undertaken primarily in the Kalyan-Dombivli region of Mumbai. Manju Lodha, wife of Mangal Prabhat Lodha, serves as the chairperson of the foundation.[44]
The group set up two branches of Chandresh Lodha Memorial School in Dombivli and Nalasopara that provides schooling to over 5,000 students from low income families. The company also provides yearly scholarships to over 1,000 students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Apart from these, they have mentorship and career guidance programmes and English speaking classes for youth and homemakers in certain areas.
Nirogi Mahila Abhiyan is a free medical check-up camp that was established for women and adolescent girls living in the slums of Mumbai. These camps provide health services to close to 50,000 women every year. The company also frequently organises health check-ups for children studying in government aided schools.
The Lodha foundation has also undertaken a massive cleanliness drive to clean spaces in Mumbai. Till date the foundation has cleaned over 500 house gullies and also provided fogging machine services to ensure that citizens live in hygienic conditions.
The company’s initiatives include the use of solar power and rainwater harvesting at various locations, tree plantation and recycling of freshwater at all developments.
Along with providing support and relief work during natural calamities, The Lodha foundation also strives to promote art, culture, religion and patriotism.
These activities are at odds with their public advertising campaigns, particularly the 2016 "Find Your Kingdom" campaign.
