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. Ownership and newer company figures rechecked: 21 October 2026.
Egyptian origin, UAE ownership, or where your food comes from?
I would separate these questions before attaching a nationality to the name. “It started in Egypt” answers the history question. It does not identify today’s UAE operating company, and neither answer tells you where a particular packet of food was made. That is the distinction worth keeping when you are standing in front of the shelf.
| Your actual question | The useful answer | What I would not infer |
|---|---|---|
| Where did the name begin? | Alexandria, Egypt, in 1924 | That today’s UAE business is an Egyptian-owned company |
| Who operates the UAE business? | The Dubai-listed Spinneys 1961 group, with Al Seer as parent and Albwardy Investment as ultimate parent | That the same name means every Spinneys business worldwide belongs to this group |
| Where was this item produced? | Check the particular product’s origin and manufacturer information | That the supermarket’s founding country, ownership or own-label branding establishes the item’s origin |
| Is the latest store count a UAE branch count? | No: 93 is the reported multi-country group footprint, including owned and operated stores | That all 93 are owned, in the UAE, or carry the Spinneys sign |
My take: the Egyptian beginning and the Dubai business are not competing versions of the story. Both belong in it. A one-country label is neat, but it throws away the part that answers what most UAE readers actually mean.
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 |
| Latest dated footprint checked | The H1 2026 release reports 93 stores: 81 owned and 12 operated, across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman—not 93 UAE Spinneys branches |
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 interim financial statements for the six months ended 30 June 2026 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 the group? Keep the reporting dates straight
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%.
The newer H1 2026 release, dated 10 August 2026, reports 93 stores: 81 owned and 12 operated. For the first six months of 2026 it reports AED 1.909 billion in revenue, 19.1% online sales penetration, 64.5% fresh sales and 47.3% private-label sales. These are dated company figures, not a live October branch census.
I would not turn those percentages into a verdict that the whole shop is cheaper, healthier or locally produced. They describe what the group sells. Nor would I subtract the 90-store year-end figure from eleven openings over the twelve months since July 2025 and announce eight closures: those periods do not match. The useful comparison is the same measure over the same dates.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Spinneys originally from?
Spinneys began in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1924. Its founder, Arthur Rawdon Spinney, was British; Lebanon and the UAE are later parts of the brand’s history.
Who owns Spinneys in the UAE?
The UAE business is part of the Dubai-listed Spinneys 1961 Holding PLC group. Its June 2026 interim statements name Al Seer Group as parent and Albwardy Investment as ultimate parent; the latter is majority owned and controlled by Ali Saeed Juma Albwardy.
Are Waitrose and Spinneys the same brand?
No. They are separate retail brands, but the same listed group operates both in the UAE. A group-wide store total can therefore include Waitrose rather than only Spinneys-branded branches.
Does the 93-store figure mean 93 Spinneys stores in the UAE?
No. The H1 2026 company release reports 93 stores across the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia, comprising 81 owned and 12 operated locations. It is not a UAE-only Spinneys-branded count.
