A family story in Ghana

The memoir traces the family’s Ghana story to 1929, when the country was known as the Gold Coast. Bhagwan Khubchandani’s father, Ramchand, settled there after working for 17 years as a shop manager, then joined his younger brother in business.

In 1946, the brothers opened their first GLAMOUR store in central Accra and soon added three branches. Looting after the 1948 Christiansborg Crossroads Shooting left them without funds; the business was uninsured. An English supplier extended credit, allowing the family to rebuild.

From manufacturing to retail

In 1955, the family entered manufacturing with Ghana’s first garment factory and later expanded into textiles. At its peak, the textile business employed more than 1,200 Ghanaians. The family later diversified into hospitality by opening Maharaja, described in the memoir as Ghana’s first Indian restaurant.

The memoir links GLAMOUR poultry farms to the 1979 “Operation Feed Yourself” programme under Colonel I. K. Acheampong. The programme sought to limit imports and encourage local production. Factories were directed to establish agricultural operations or risk losing import licences; the memoir notes that this requirement applied even though polyester production did not need agricultural inputs. The poultry farms continued to operate.

Building Melcom

Bhagwan Khubchandani says he owned 50% of the GLAMOUR group before parting ways with his partners to focus on retail. In 1989, he established Melcom with his sons-in-law Mahesh Melwani and Ramesh Sadhwani. The memoir says they built Ghana’s largest chain of retail stores.

He describes Ghana as his adopted home, thanks Ghanaians for their love and hospitality, and credits loyal customers with Melcom’s future. The memoir closes with “God bless Ghana.”

• Mr. Bhagwan Khubchandani — Founder of Melcom Group of Companies