Mohammad Salman Masud spends up to 12 hours a day selling fruit and vegetables at a Waterfront Market stall in Deira, sharing an apartment with colleagues and sending money home to his family in Bangladesh.
Last week, in a life-changing phone call, he was told he now owns a two-bedroom apartment in Dubai.
Mr Masud's win came in the 'Win Your Home in Dubai' promotion, which ran throughout the summer as part of Dubai Summer Surprises until August 30.
Shoppers who spent a minimum of Dh500 ($136) at participating retail outlets, malls, or brand stores were entered into a draw for apartments as well as additional prizes.
“I never won anything in my life, not even a pen,” Mr Masud, 28, told The National. “Now, I am a homeowner in Dubai. It's still difficult for me to grasp it.”
Mr Masud went on a shopping spree at Union Co-op supermarket on May 27, bulk-buying goods such as rice, sugar, flour and oil, and spent more than Dh900.
“I came to know about the promotion through the Union Co-op app and wanted to try my luck,” he said. “But after shopping, I didn't know how to enter the draw, although I had the app. I had to ask a customer service staff member to help register on my behalf.”
He was busy at work when he received a call informing him of his big win. “I assumed it was a scam. I asked again to understand what they meant. But only when officials from Dubai Chambers and DSS reiterated and gave details, I realised it was for real.” Mr Masud said he did not know how to react and found it hard to express his emotions at the time.
“I work 10-12 hours a day to earn a living and provide for my parents and siblings back home,” he told The National. “I don't often get a call to say I have won an apartment! I have never even played a raffle in my life,” he said with a chuckle.
“Everyone dreams of owning a home in Dubai and today, after being in the UAE for eight years, Dubai has fulfilled that dream for me. The first person I called was my mother.”
He said this father spent 30 years working in the UAE before returning to Bangladesh. Mr Masud is now the family's only breadwinner. “Honestly, I haven't made any plans for the apartment yet,” he said after touring the show unit at Al Jaddaf, which is developed by Binghatti Developers.
His two-bedroom apartment was the top prize of the season but he was one of several winners. The campaign gave away 12 apartments across 12 draws – 11 studios and one two-bedroom grand prize, to shoppers from nine countries.
Ten winners live in Dubai, one in Abu Dhabi, while the other was a tourist from Kazakhstan. Four winners were Indian expats and the remaining apartments went to shoppers from the UAE, the Philippines, the UK, Lebanon, Russia, Libya, Kazakhstan and Bangladesh.
Home ownership remains a major goal for many people in Dubai, particularly among long-term expat residents who have rented for years without owning property in the city.
Aditi, an Indian expat who moved to Dubai 12 years ago and works in the finance sector, admitted her “heart was racing” when she heard she is now a homeowner after shopping at Damas Jewellery at LuLu Hypermarket, Barsha.
A simple shopping trip turned into a life-changing moment for British expat Grace Agnew, who won a studio apartment after buying two pairs of shoes at Clarks in Dubai Festival City Mall.
Samer Hijazi, a Lebanese citizen who has called Dubai home for the past two and a half years, also landed a studio apartment. Working in sales, Mr Hijazi moved from Qatar to Dubai to be with his wife, who has been living in the city for the past five years.
Stacey Bukhantseva, originally from Russia and a long-time Dubai resident, said after winning a studio: “You come to Dubai with hopes and dreams, hoping to build something meaningful, and somehow this city continues to surprise you. In a way, what I was set to do and achieve is becoming real.
“This is the first home I have ever owned, and it means more than words can express. I feel incredibly grateful to be part of something so special in a city that I truly admire.”
Filipina expat Ethel Metry, who has called Dubai home for nearly 20 years, now has a home to call her own. She said: “I have seen so many stories about people winning amazing prizes in Dubai, but I never imagined I would be one of them. When I received the call, I wanted it to be true, but I was also worried it wasn't. I even went on Instagram and looked at all the previous winners before it finally felt real.”
