Spinneys is originally from Alexandria, Egypt. British Army officer Arthur Rawdon Spinney established the brand there in 1924. It is not originally Lebanese, British or Emirati—although each description captures part of its later story. The founder was British, Spinneys expanded into Lebanon, and the business that UAE shoppers know developed its own deep roots in Dubai from the early 1960s.
Today, the UAE operation sits within Spinneys 1961 Holding PLC, a Dubai Financial Market-listed grocery group controlled through the Albwardy business group. Its portfolio includes Spinneys, Waitrose and Al Fair stores across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman. Last checked: 29 July 2026.
Spinneys at a glance
| Where did Spinneys start? | Alexandria, Egypt |
|---|---|
| When was it founded? | 1924 |
| Who founded it? | Arthur Rawdon Spinney |
| When did the UAE business begin? | Operations under the brand date to 1961; Spinneys’ consumer timeline dates its first Deira supermarket to 1962 |
| Who owns Spinneys UAE? | Spinneys 1961 Holding PLC is publicly listed; Al Seer Group is its parent and Albwardy Investment its ultimate parent |
| Who is the CEO? | Sunil Kumar |
| Stock-market ticker | SPINNEYS on the Dubai Financial Market |
| How large is the current group? | 90 stores at the end of 2025 across Spinneys, Waitrose and Al Fair in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman |
The store figure is a group portfolio total, not the number of Spinneys-branded supermarkets in the UAE. That distinction is often lost when the company’s investor data is repeated in consumer articles.
Where is Spinneys originally from?
The documented answer is Alexandria, Egypt. Dubai Financial Market’s listing announcement records that Arthur Rawdon Spinney established Spinneys in Alexandria in 1924. Spinneys Lebanon’s own history also dates the first business to Alexandria before its Lebanese expansion.
Why the confusion? Spinneys has operated across several Middle Eastern markets for decades, and the name is attached to businesses with different local ownership structures. Someone who grew up with Spinneys in Beirut may naturally think of it as Lebanese; a Dubai resident may regard it as a UAE institution. Culturally, both associations make sense. Historically, neither changes the place of origin.
Is Spinneys British?
Its founder was British, and imported British goods were central to the early proposition, but the first store was in Egypt. The modern UAE operating company is incorporated in Dubai’s DIFC and listed in Dubai. The most accurate short description is: a brand founded in Egypt by a British founder, later developed into a major UAE grocery business.
Is Spinneys from Lebanon?
No. Spinneys Lebanon says the brand entered Lebanon in 1948, 24 years after its Alexandria beginning. Lebanon became one of the name’s most visible markets, but it was not the birthplace.
How Spinneys became part of Dubai
Official Spinneys sources use two closely related dates. The DFM company history says the group began operating under the Spinneys brand in Dubai in 1961. Spinneys’ consumer-facing “Our Story” timeline says its first supermarket opened at Al Nasr Square in Deira in 1962. The two statements can coexist: one describes the start of operations, the other the first supermarket opening.
Spinneys says the first customer at the Deira supermarket was Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, then Ruler of Dubai, who bought a bottle of grenadine syrup. The company opened in Sharjah in 1964 and says it had six stores across Dubai and Sharjah by 1966. Spinneys Jumeirah followed in 1967, with Ras Al Khaimah two years later.
The Spinneys UAE timeline
| Year | What changed |
|---|---|
| 1924 | Arthur Rawdon Spinney establishes Spinneys in Alexandria, Egypt |
| 1961 | The group’s DFM history dates the start of Dubai operations under the Spinneys brand to this year |
| 1962 | The first Deira supermarket opens at Al Nasr Square, according to Spinneys’ consumer timeline |
| 1964 | First Sharjah store opens |
| 1966 | Six stores are operating across Dubai and Sharjah |
| 1967 | Spinneys Jumeirah opens |
| 1978 | Spinneys Zabeel Road opens |
| 1995 | Mankhool Road store, head office and Al Quoz warehousing are added |
| 1999 | Ali Al Bwardy acquires full control of the group |
| 2003 | The group expands into Oman through Al Fair |
| 2008 | Agreements are signed for use of the Waitrose brand |
| 2011–2013 | Fresh-food production and central bakery facilities open in Dubai |
| 2020 | Spinneys launches its UAE e-commerce site |
| 2024 | Spinneys 1961 Holding lists on DFM and enters Saudi Arabia |
| 2025 | The group opens 13 stores and ends the year with a 90-store portfolio |
The early-store dates come from Spinneys UAE’s own history. The ownership, 1999 acquisition, Waitrose agreement and corporate milestones appear in the DFM company background.
Who owns Spinneys in the UAE?
The answer is more precise than “Ali Albwardy owns Spinneys.” The UAE operating group is Spinneys 1961 Holding PLC, which has traded on the Dubai Financial Market under the ticker SPINNEYS since 9 May 2024. The IPO sold 25% of the company’s authorised share capital to investors.
The company’s audited accounts identify Al Seer Group LLC as the parent and Albwardy Investment LLC as the ultimate parent. Albwardy Investment is majority owned and controlled by Ali Saeed Juma Albwardy, who chairs Spinneys. Public shareholders therefore own part of the listed company, while the Albwardy group retains control. Sunil Kumar is chief executive officer.
This structure also explains why a history of the century-old brand and a description of today’s UAE-listed company are not the same thing. The first is a regional retail story; the second is a specific corporate group with defined subsidiaries and markets.
Is Waitrose the same company as Spinneys in the UAE?
They are separate retail brands, but the same listed group operates both in the UAE. Spinneys’ corporate timeline says agreements for use of the Waitrose brand were signed in 2008. The group also operates Al Fair in Oman. When investor materials describe the company’s store footprint, the number can therefore include Spinneys, Waitrose and Al Fair rather than only stores carrying the Spinneys sign.
How large is Spinneys now?
Spinneys’ 2025 integrated report records a group footprint of 90 stores at year-end, up from 80 a year earlier, across the three-brand portfolio in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman. It opened 13 new stores during 2025. The same report records AED3.6 billion in group revenue, 17% e-commerce participation, fresh products representing 64.2% of sales and private-label products representing 45.4%.
Those figures help explain the business model more clearly than generic claims about “premium quality.” Spinneys is differentiated by a high share of fresh and own-label food, central production facilities, international sourcing and a growing online channel. They are company-reported group metrics, not an independent verdict on price or quality.
Where are Spinneys stores in the UAE?
Spinneys operates across Dubai and other emirates, but a static branch list becomes inaccurate whenever stores open, relocate or change hours. The official UAE store locator is the reliable place to search by area and check current details. It also avoids confusing a Spinneys-branded branch with a Waitrose store operated by the same group.
For shopping online, use the UAE region on spinneys.com or the official app and set your delivery address before judging availability. Product range and delivery slots are location-dependent.
The short answer
Spinneys began in Alexandria in 1924, not Beirut. Its British founder gave the brand its name; its expansion across the Middle East gave it multiple national associations; and six decades of retailing made it a UAE institution. The modern business UAE shoppers encounter is part of a Dubai-listed, Albwardy-controlled group—not simply the same ownership entity that operated every Spinneys-branded shop over the previous century.
