A bookstore chain that began as a single shop on a dusty Dubai road in the 1970s marked its 50th anniversary this week.
Magrudy’s, now a familiar name to many readers, parents, students and teachers in the UAE, opened its first store in 1975.
Its golden jubilee was celebrated on Friday by the Abulhoul family, staff and community members who have been part of the bookstore’s journey.
Mansoor Abulhoul, the UAE’s Ambassador to the UK and son of co-founder Isobel Abulhoul, posted on X to mark the occasion.
“Fifty years of stories, learning and family – from one small bookstore to a UAE institution,” he said.
“So proud to celebrate Magrudy’s 50th anniversary today with family, friends and generations who’ve shared in its journey. From our family to yours.”
Family-friendly atmosphere
When Magrudy’s opened, the UAE was developing its schools, cultural spaces and institutions. Access to books, particularly children’s books and educational resources, was limited.
Ms Abulhoul said in an earlier interview with The National that the idea for Magrudy’s began shortly after she helped found Dubai’s Al Ittihad Private School in 1975.
With two young children, she was focused on education and the need for families to access learning materials.
“I had absolutely no retail experience. I wasn’t even thinking about that. By the time we launched the school I had two young children, so education was very much on my mind,” she said.
“And once we opened the school, I started thinking about how we needed a place where families can get books and educational toys, so we then set up Magrudy’s.”
The first Magrudy’s store in Jumeirah stood out for its inviting, family-friendly atmosphere.
Its walls were adorned with colourful murals of animals and playful creatures, while shelves were lined with books and toys arranged to suit young readers.
“There was plenty of space and lots [of items] at child’s eye level,” said Ms Abulhoul.
The shop offered a wide range of classic educational toys, from Lego and Playmobil to wooden puzzles, rocking horses and board games such as Snakes and Ladders and chess.
Behind the main area, shelves were filled with children’s books, including timeless favourites and hand-picked titles sourced directly from international catalogues.
Literary launch pad
Over the years, Magrudy’s grew from a neighbourhood shop into a multi-branch bookstore chain with branches in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.
It brought international writers to the UAE long before major literary festivals existed. It also hosted some of the country’s earliest book clubs and author events, including a session with Paulo Coelho in 2005.
While the Abu Dhabi and Sharjah book fairs were focusing mostly on trade, Magrudy’s author meet-and-greets laid the groundwork for what eventually became the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
Magrudy’s was the first book chain in the UAE to stock JK Rowling’s debut novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, published in 1997.
“I knew this was the beginning of some kind of phenomenon when two of my children found this book while we were on holiday in Cambridge,” Ms Abulhoul said. “They were so entranced with it, I had to buy them a separate copy each because they couldn’t share it.
“When I came back to Dubai, I immediately imported more copies to the stores, and we went on to eventually sell something like 5,000 copies of it.”
To celebrate its golden jubilee, Magrudy’s is offering 50 per cent off across all branches on Sunday, November 2.
Loyal customers have taken to social media to congratulate the store, sharing memories of their visits over the years.
One user wrote on Instagram: “I remember my first visit to Magrudy’s in Jumeirah in the mid-1990s – fun memories.”
Another Instagram user said: “My favourite neighbourhood shop since I was a child.”
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
Pakistanis%20at%20the%20ILT20%20
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Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Squads
Australia: Finch (c), Agar, Behrendorff, Carey, Coulter-Nile, Lynn, McDermott, Maxwell, Short, Stanlake, Stoinis, Tye, Zampa
India: Kohli (c), Khaleel, Bumrah, Chahal, Dhawan, Shreyas, Karthik, Kuldeep, Bhuvneshwar, Pandey, Krunal, Pant, Rahul, Sundar, Umesh
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
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The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
