60 years of memories and counting...

In 1962, we opened our first supermarket in Deira at Al Nasr Square. Our first customer was the late His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the then Ruler of Dubai. He bought a bottle of grenadine syrup. We opened our first outlet in Sharjah in 1964. By 1966 we had six stores between Dubai and Sharjah. This is also the year that oil was discovered off the coast of Dubai, which immediately attracted foreign traders, spurred major infrastructure projects and enhanced economic growth. We opened Spinneys Jumeirah in 1967, which we still own 42 years later. Two years after this, Spinneys in Ras Al Khaimah opened for business, to later be one of the Middle East’s leading supermarket chains.

On 2 December, 1971, the United Arab Emirates was declared an independent, sovereign and federal state comprising the six emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah. Ras Al Khaimah joined in 1972. A year later the Dirham became the official unit of currency in the UAE. The front of a one Dirham coin had the dallah (traditional coffee pot) embossed on it. In 1975, Spinneys King Faisal opened in Sharjah and in 1978 Spinneys Zabeel Road opened its doors.

In 1985, Dubai’s flagship carrier, Emirates, was established. This was a pivotal moment – one that played a major role in helping the city to evolve into a major tourist destination. In 1987, we opened Spinneys Umm Suqeim. 1988 heralded our return across Dubai Creek with the opening of the Muraqqabat store – our first presence in Deira since the opening of our Zabeel store in 1978.

On 3 January, 1995, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was appointed Crown Prince of Dubai. In the same year, we opened Spinneys Mankhool Road – it was a major landmark, bringing the latest trends in retail design to the city. We also opened a new warehouse within the Al Quoz Industrial Area on 31 October, 1995, that replaced our 19-year-old Zabeel Road facility. The first iteration of Spinneys magazine, titled Living in the Gulf, launched in 1996. In 1997, we launched the new Spinneys Umm Suqeim – at the time it was the largest and most modern supermarket in the Middle East. The Burj Al Arab opened at Jumeirah Beach in 1999.

On 29 September, 2001, we opened Spinneys Trade Centre in Bur Dubai. And in 2002, we continued to expand by opening three new stores, including Spinneys Mazaya Centre, Spinneys Al Ghurair and Spinneys Mercato Mall, which became our largest store at the time. We celebrated our 40th anniversary in style on 28 October, 2002. In 2005, the Spinneys cycling team was formed with four members. In the beginning, it was a means to stay fit, but over time, cycling together has built friendship and trust between more than 80 colleagues. And in 2009, The Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge was born. It has steadily grown to become one of the Middle East’s largest mass participation cycling events, attracting riders from around the world.

Spinneys Fresh Food Industries was inaugurated in 2011 in Jebel Ali. Two years later, Spinneys Central Bakery & Deli opened in Dubai Investment Park. Today, both these factories house three facilities each, which enable us to produce and supply our stores with an assortment of foods, from halal-certified meat and fresh seafood to baked goods, deli items and fresh flowers. Between January 2014 and December 2018 we opened 17 stores in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, including our outlet in Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 1. On 25 November, 2019, we opened our first concept store and headquarters for the corporate office in Meydan. We launched spinneys.com on 10 June, 2020. In the same year, the Emirates Mars Mission Hope orbiter was launched on 19 July, 2020. It reached Mars on 9 February, 2021 – the same year, we celebrated our 60-year anniversary and 50 years of the UAE.