Back in the roaring 1920s, a British army officer stationed in Alexandria decided he needed a change from military life.
Setting up operations in the suburbs of the Egyptian city, he first supplied provisions for railways in what was then the League of Nations mandate for Palestine.
Soon he had moved his headquarters to Haifa, then part of Palestine and one of the stops along the Palestine Railways that ran between 1920 and 1948. There he sold imported British goods ― considered a luxury at the time ― to customers as far away as Syria.
This included motor cars, with an advert in the Palestine Bulletin for October 13 , 1931 offering a “bargain” Austin 7 Saloon for sale.
Prospective buyers were invited to visit the shop on the Jaffa Road, named after this budding entrepreneur: Arthur Rawdon Spinney.
Spinneys supermarkets is just one of a number of instantly familiar retail names in the UAE. Jashanmal is another staple to the UAE. But the story of those two household names, the people behind them, and how they are woven into the history of the country, is perhaps not as well known.
Spinneys survived a bomb attack on its Jerusalem branch in 1936, and continued to expand across the Middle East, arriving in Baghdad, during the 1936-1939 Arab Revolt, and Beirut in 1948.
After the July 14 Revolution in Iraq in 1958, and the execution of King Faisal II, a decision was made to relocate the Baghdad outlet to Dubai.
The branch opened in 1962, in Al Nasr Square, with Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed, Ruler of Dubai, as the first customer. He bought a bottle of grenadine syrup.
Locally, it became known as “The Frozen Chicken” because it was the only retailer to sell frozen poultry, using a chiller van.
Today, there are Spinneys supermarkets in Egypt, Jordan and Oman. In Lebanon, the brand is owned by Grey Mackenzie Retail, another trading name with deep roots in the region, and originally a shipping company founded in the 19th century. In Abu Dhabi, Grey Mackenzie still sells licensed beverages as part of Abu Dhabi Maritime and Mercantile International.
In the UAE, there are now more than 50 Spinneys supermarkets and convenience shops, with the brand name now owned by Albwardy Investments, which was founded by an Emirati businessman, Ali Albwardy.
As for Arthur Spinney, he retired in the 1960s, living in the English seaside town of Littlehampton until his death at the age of 83 in 1973.
Another familiar UAE brand very much retains its family connection. In 1919, a 24-year-old from Karachi, Rao Sahib Jashanmal, travelled to Basra in Iraq.
Like Pakistan and India, Basra was under British rule at the time, and seeing an opportunity to trade in the British Empire, he opened a store carrying the family name of Jashanmal, serving workers in the oil industry.
Oil was a major part of the Iraqi economy, and as discoveries were made in other countries in the Arabian Gulf, the Jashanmal family followed, taking advantage of this growing prosperity.
Led by Rao Sahib’s sons, Naraindas, Atma, Hiro and Mohan, Jashanmal stores could eventually be found Kuwait, Bahrain and Dubai, selling high quality products from books and watches to Clarks desert boots.Tony Jashanmal, Rao Sahib’s grandson, now heads the company.
When oil was discovered in Abu Dhabi in 1958, Jashanmal set up shop at the exploration base on Das Island supplying workers, and then, later, in Abu Dhabi.
Today the fourth generation of the family is entering the business, which employs more than 5,000 people at more than 100 shops.
A version of this article was first published on September 1, 2022
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
More on animal trafficking
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
4.35pm: Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m; Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
5.10pm: Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Canvassed, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O’Meara
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
7.30pm: Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Final Song, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
Essentials
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing.
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