The Al-Futtaim Group ( ar, مجموعة الفطيم, Majmouat al-Futtaim) is a large conglomerate based in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

History

The group was founded in the 1930s and expanded rapidly in the 1940s and 1950s becoming an integrated commercial, industrial, and services organization. The Al-Futtaim family split its business interests in 2000 with

Abdulla Al Futtaim Abdulla Al Futtaim (Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey K ...

controlling the automotive and mainly retail business, and his cousin Majid controlling a property development business (now known as

Majid Al Futtaim Group Majid Al Futtaim ( ar, ماجد الفطيم) is an Emirati holding company based in Dubai. As of 2015, it owned and operated shopping malls, retail, and leisure establishments in the Middle East and North Africa with operations in 13 countri ...

). In September 2013, the group bid $86 million to take full control of the

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

-based car retailer CMC Holdings.

Operations

Al-Futtaim Group employs over 44,000 people and operates eight divisions comprising automotive, electronics, insurance, services, real estate, retail, industries, and overseas. Sheikh

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ( ar, محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم, links=no; ; born 15 July 1949) is the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, vice president, prime minister, and minister of defence of the United Arab Emir ...

mediated a settlement between Abdulla Al Futtaim and his rival, cousin Majid Al Futtaim, in 2000 which split the assets, liabilities and operations of the then-larger Al Futtaim Group. The CEO of the group was Robert Willett until he suddenly resigned in January 2011. After that, Omar Al-Futtaim became a board member, CEO and vice chairman. In September 2022, the group was listed by

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

in the Middle East's Top 100 Arab Family Businesses, ranking third.

Businesses

Al Futtaim Motors: Established by the group in 1955, it is the exclusive distributor of

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese ...

Hino Hino may refer to: Places Estonia * Hino, Põlva County * Hino, Võru County ** Lake Hino Japan * Hino, Shiga * Hino, Tokyo * Hino, Tottori ** Hino District, Tottori ** Hino River Transportation * Hino Motors, a Japanese truck manufacturer o ...

trucks and Toyota Material Handling equipment in the UAE. Robinsons & Co.: In April 2008, the Al-Futtaim Group bought 88% of the shares of Robinsons & Co. at S$7.20 per share. IKEA: The group holds the franchise rights to operate

IKEA IKEA (; ) is a Dutch multinational conglomerate based in the Netherlands that designs and sells , kitchen appliances, decoration, home accessories, and various other goods and home services. Started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA has been t ...

stores in UAE,

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

and

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

. It operates four IKEA stores in UAE, Qatar and Egypt. Ace Hardware: First opened in Dubai in 1991 by the group,

Ace An ace is a playing card, Dice, die or domino with a single Pip (counting), pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit (cards), suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large a ...

now trades in six locations in the United Arab Emirates including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, and Al Ain. Each of the six stores are also certified as ‘Ace Helpful’ in keeping with global Ace standards. Plug Ins: Consumer electronics store in the UAE. Orient: Founded by Al-Futtaim in 1982, Orient is the largest

insurance company Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

in the United Arab Emirates by

financial capital Financial capital (also simply known as capital or equity in finance, accounting and economics) is any economic resource measured in terms of money used by entrepreneurs and businesses to buy what they need to make their products or to provide ...

, with up to 500 million AED (approx. 136.1 million

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

). Headquartered in Dubai, it works with major clients in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Ras Al Khaimah, as well as Oman and Bahrain. Toys "R" Us: The firm opened the U.A.E.'s first

Toys "R" Us Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1957; its first store was built in April 1948, with its headquarters loc ...

store in 1995, and owns and operates 19 Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us stores across Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Its stores were unaffected by the franchiser's 2018 bankruptcy in the United States. Marks & Spencer: The firm holds the franchise right to operate

Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...

in Hong Kong, Macau. Al-Futtaim's businesses also include Kolber Geneve and Westar.Al-Futtaim Watches scouts for distributors in EU

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.alfuttaim.com/home 1930s establishments in the Trucial States Companies based in Dubai Companies established in the 1930s Conglomerate companies of the United Arab Emirates Financial services companies of the United Arab Emirates Multinational companies headquartered in the United Arab Emirates Retail companies of the United Arab Emirates