Waitrose To Open Stores in UAE

Waitrose said it had signed a licensing deal with supermarket retailer Spinneys under which selected stores will carry the Waitrose fascia in Dubai, the first of which will open in April 2008.

Two more Waitrose branches will open in July and October, with a further 20 planned over the next two years.

Spinneys has been selling a wide range of Waitrose products in the UAE, particularly Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and neighboring Oman, since 2004.

“This agreement is set to accelerate export trade for Waitrose and marks a significant milestone in our international ambitions,” says Richard Hodgson, commercial director for Waitrose, who adds, “Spinneys, a retail operator that shares many of the Waitrose trading principles and with whom we have enjoyed a successful three-year partnership, was the obvious choice for our first licensing deal.”

Spinneys runs 40 supermarkets in the UAE and Oman.