These days, where digital speed often determines strategic advantage, Lulu Group International has pulled off a transformation milestone with profound business consequences. In preparation for its high-profile IPO, the UAE-based retail giant successfully carved out its India, Egypt, and UAE non-retail business units from its core SAP system—a complex SAP data migration effort executed with near-zero downtime and completed two weeks ahead of schedule.
The secret? A technology-led carve-out powered by SNP SE, a major global player in SAP data transformations and selective migrations. Working alongside AWS and Redington, SNP executed the project using its CrystalBridge platform and the BLUEFIELD™ methodology. The result: 20% of a massive 6-terabyte SAP ECC database was surgically migrated to two new target systems with full data integrity, auditability, and minimal business disruption.
“The volume of this selective data migration amounted to about 20% of the 6-terabyte database,” said Anish Mohamed, Group CIO at Lulu. “SNP has demonstrated the ability to be a highly reliable SAP transformation partner… Their expertise gives us confidence for the next phase of our digital transformation—a move to SAP S/4HANA.”
For any enterprise preparing to go public, the ability to isolate and cleanly segregate business units from a shared SAP environment is both critical and high-risk. The Lulu carve-out was driven by IPO timing and regulatory scrutiny—requiring verifiable, compliant, and independent financial systems for the divested entities. Traditional migration methods would have introduced high cost, risk, and downtime.
Instead, SNP’s software-defined transformation provided:
- Selective, auditable data carve-out
- Less than 48 hours of cutover downtime
- End-to-end validation and data integrity
“We support companies like Lulu in tackling both current and future challenges by optimizing their IT systems and business processes,” said Ravi Mahalingam, Managing Director of SNP Middle East. “Our software platform ensured a fast, secure transformation journey from system analysis to seamless data migration.”
The business value was immediate. Lulu not only met its IPO deadlines but now has a future-ready SAP landscape, already planning its SAP S/4HANA migration with SNP as its strategic partner.
What this means for ERP Insiders
Elevate data carve-outs from risk to competitive advantage. CIOs and CFOs managing divestitures or IPOs should rethink manual extraction or greenfield rebuilds. SNP’s CrystalBridge and BLUEFIELD™ methodology offer an option to carve out complex SAP environments quickly, with governance built in. The Lulu project shows how data segregation can serve not just compliance, but strategic timing and cost reduction.
Automate for accuracy, speed, and scalability. The scale of Lulu’s 6-terabyte system would tax even the most experienced consultants. SNP’s software-driven approach enabled precise extraction of just 20% of the data—at speed, and with full traceability. As organizations prepare for cloud migrations, selective automation is the difference between high-velocity transformation and multi-year risk.
Future-proof SAP landscapes with modular software-based transformations. SNP’s success with Lulu is not just about a carve-out. It’s about setting the stage for modular SAP evolution. With the SAP S/4HANA migration already planned, the flexibility and trust built in Phase 1 will enable an agile, phased deployment. Tech leaders should consider this approach to navigate transformation with precision and control.
