Team Yalla speaks to CEO of Jones the Grocer, Yunib Siddiqui.
A diner seemingly waits for his order as the waiters weave in and out of the tables that punctuate Jones the Grocer Al Mamoura, Abu Dhabi.
The diner, however, is not here to indulge in good food; for he is the quietly spoken British entrepreneur and businessman, Yunib Siddiqui, the CEO and Owner of Jones the Grocer globally.
The Al Mamoura branch of Jones the Grocer, an international brand synonymous with style, artisan food and high-end kitchen essentials, is the UAE’s first ever branch.
Today, Jones the Grocer has grown from a single, standalone store in Abu Dhabi’s Al Mamoura. There are eight company-owned stores across the UAE, including several in the UAE capital itself, with 24 franchised stores across the region, including the UAE, with a further eight set to open. Fifteen stores are in the pipeline for Saudi Arabia and plans are in place to open stores in India and the UK.
Such success has been no mean feat for a man with no prior connection to, or experience in, the food and hospitality industry other than a love of good food and being a fan of cooking shows on television.
Yunib’s love affair with Jones, as he affectionally calls it, began in 2006 during a business trip to Vietnam at a time when he was a partner in a joint venture exporting interior accessories to retailers in the United States and the UK.
“I stopped in at Singapore and saw a Jones had opened there; people were talking about it. I read a centrespread on Jones in Wallpaper magazine; the last line of the article said the owner was looking to grow the business and to get in touch.”
Returning to his London home, Yunib settled down to watch Saturday Kitchen, a weekend food television show aired on the BBC. “I thought to myself that I have got to do Jones; I love it.”
Reaching out to all the stores across Australia in the hope of connecting with the then owner of Jones the Grocer, a Greek Australian, Yunib eventually received a response. “Meet me in Singapore, he said,” says Yunib.
Yunib, who was born in Pakistan, arrived in the UAE in 1979 when his father secured work as an engineer. Three years of schooling ensued before Yunib headed to the UK for university studies.
“I then worked as an accountant in the City [in London]. Halfway through the job, I became bored of it and set up a business that was completely different [than Jones the Grocer].”
The business was importing handmade, original sculptures from Africa and objet d’art to supply to retailers such as John Lewis, Liberty, Peter Jones, as well as high- to mid-end accessories for galleries.”
Despite such a commendable client portfolio and operating the business from 1992 to 2006, in 2002 the market was flooded with less expensive, mass-produced Chinese products of a similar ilk, forcing Yunib to close part of the business down.
The meeting in Singapore with the former Jones the Grocer owner saw Yunib sign heads of terms for a store in London. “I flew on Emirates and returned via Dubai. My friend from university was working in DIFC; he convinced me I should be opening Jones in the UAE.”
Despite forming a business plan for Dubai, Yunib was unable to find a suitable site. “The rents were crazy back then in Dubai.”
Yunib heard about a site in Abu Dhabi that was available. The rest is history. “We had a opening in September 2009; the store did immensely well. “We had the Crown Prince come in as his office was upstairs,” says Yunib who goes on to list more notables who frequented the store, including Hilary Clinton,Tony Blair, Kevin Rudd, the former Prime Minister of Australia and Manchester City stars. “Everybody has been in; it’s like a who’s who.”
“We grew bigger than the original owner and in December 2019, we became 100 per cent owners of the brand. Today, I am Jones the Grocer.”
