The supermarket was founded by Arthur Rawdon Spinney (CBE), who, having served in the Staffordshire Yeomanry and later on the staff of General Allenby, set up operations in the suburbs of Alexandria, Egypt in 1924, which initially formed and organized the provision department of the Palestine Railways.
He took over transporting contract to Mandate Palestine administration from two pioneering New Zealanders, Norman & Gerald Nairn, who established the first cross-desert bus service between Damascus & Baghdad following the First World War. Setting up his import and shipping headquarters in Haifa, he later sold imported English goods from the Jaffa Road store, which were then a novelty in Mandate Palestine and Syria through his two companies Spinney's Ltd., and Full-worth Ltd., which contrasted with local merchants who only sold goods sourced from the region and were unfamiliar to the British living and serving there. His commercial position, and involvement with the Palestine Commissioner allowed him to also hold the post of a trustee for Haifa early in the Second World War. During the Second World War Rawdon Spinney also served as the Hungarian Consul General in Palestine, having moved house to Jerusalem, with two stores operated at the Spinney's (Spinney's Ltd., Haifa) Greek Colony branch, and Mamillah Road premises until 1949.

Mr Spinney joined the UK establishment when his daughter Elizabeth married John Slim, 2nd Viscount Slim in 1958 at Kyrenia, Cyprus where he had a presence since 1949.

Spinneys started trading in Dubai in 1961 and opened its First supermarket in 1962 in Deira, today better known as Al Nasr Square. In those days it became locally known as "The Frozen Chicken" because it was the First retailer in the area to sell frozen chickens from a chiller van. With a reputation for innovation Spinneys has been through many changes throughout the years

In the 1960s Arthur Spinney retired from active participation in the managing of the stores, and died in August 1973 in Littlehampton, Sussex, where he was buried in the Crematorium.

Spinneys began importing and distributing liquor in Abu Dhabi and Since then it has gone on to become an industry leader, providing beverages to more than 40 percent of the hospitality and entertainment industry in Abu Dhabi.

Spinneys retails an extensive, ever-growing portfolio of wines, spirits and beers for all taste and budget. There are 09 shops conveniently located across the emirate of Abu Dhabi ( Including a Store at Alain ) with more planned for the future. Each one stocks the world’s favourite brands and offers customers a variety of special offers every month. To complete the retail experience, the stores are staffed by friendly, knowledgeable staff.

Spinneys supplies alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to many of Abu Dhabi’s leading hotels, restaurants and leisure destinations, including the Four Seasons, Emirates Palace Hotel, Hyatt, The Rosewood and the stunning Jumeirah Etihad Towers. Spinneys is also a supplier to many of the Emirate’s leading high-end beach and sports clubs, such as the Saadiyat Beach Club,

And Coya, Zuma, Nusret,Loca& Robertos Shooting and Golf Club and the Abu Dhabi Health & Fitness Club.

Spinneys prides itself on providing access to many of the worlds finest wines and whiskies; which enables us to provide our restaurant partners with real choice, opening up their menus to world-class and often cutting-edge drinks. We work closely with many of the city’s most sought-after venues, such as Cipriani ,Zuma, Hakassan & Robertos.

Spinneys is the exclusive Abu Dhabi agent for many of the world’s leading brands. These include some of the worlds most popular and biggest selling beers such as Heineken, Amstel, Tiger Beer and Sol.

Spinneys is also the exclusive Abu Dhabi agent for a wide range of wines from around the world; including the award-winning South African Nederburg range, which is South Africa’s most awarded wine, winning more international and domestic awards than any other wine producer in South Africa. Other award-winning and hugely popular wines include Cloudy Bay from New Zealand and Concha Y Toro, the multi-award-winning Chilean winemaker.

Spinneys exclusively supplies a long list of leading spirits from around the world ranging from single malt whiskies such as Glenmorangie to premium vodkas such as Grey Goose. The Spinneys exclusive range of spirits also includes staples such as Bacardi, Jack Daniels, Bombay Sapphire, Campari and Martini. Being an exclusive supplier has led us to build extremely strong relationships with a great many of the worlds leading drinks companies. It also gives us a particular responsibility to ensure that our customers have access to the worlds leading brands. These relationships give Spinneys the ability to deliver a truly world-class portfolio of drinks products and also place it as a true authority on trends and developments within the drinks industry.

Spinneys liquor became part of the MMI Group in 2007. Building on its strong local infrastructure and great relationships in the Emirate, MMI has leveraged strengths across both organisations to create an industry leader in the Emirate.

Spinneys manages distribution and sales for:

The most popular and biggest selling international beers, including Heineken, Amstel, Tiger Beer and Sol

• A wide collection of wines from around the world, including award-winning wines such as Nederburg South Africa, Cloudy Bay New Zealand, and Concha Y Toro Chile • Premium spirits including Glenmorangie, Grey Goose, Bombay Sapphire, Campari and Martini • Moet Hennesey portfolio- from Moet & Chandon , Dom Perignon to Veuve Clicquot, to Henessey Cognac.