Waitrose

Waitrose entered the UAE market through a licensing agreement with Spinneys, the Dubai-based grocery operator that also runs the Al Fair chain; Spinneys and Waitrose sit under the same parent, Al Bwardy Investment. Waitrose's own-label groceries had already been sold inside ordinary Spinneys stores in the UAE and Oman since 2004, building brand familiarity before dedicated Waitrose-fascia stores opened, including a converted location in Dubai's Meadows community. Today roughly a fifth of the Al Bwardy group's approximately 86 Spinneys/Waitrose/Al Fair stores across the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia carry the Waitrose name, with online grocery ordering through waitrose.ae. The licensing arrangement with the John Lewis Partnership, Waitrose's UK owner, reportedly runs until 2031.