When Isobel Abulhoul made the United Arab Emirates her home in 1969 she identified a lack of modern books and educational toys for children. Consequently she and her husband Abdullah set about creating a safe and stimulating environment would be fun and so Magrudy’s began. Today Magrudy’s retail division operates six stand-alone retail outlets in the United Arab Emirates covering a wide range of topics across all age ranges.

Tell us a little about Magrudy's. Is there a Magrudy family behind the bookshop?
Magrudy’s was founded in 1975 by the Abulhoul family. It is still a family owned business and run on much the same lines. Isobel Abulhoul is actively involved in all the day to day running of the eight-strong chain of UAE bookshops. There are more in the pipeline. In 1975 Magrudy’s started life as an educational toy shop; however books were included in the selection on offer from Day 1. Over the years books have become the most important part of the business, although Magrudy’s still has an excellent educational toy section in the larger bookshops.

We hear that people in the Arab World don't read. Who's buying books in your shops?
There is a small number of avid readers from the Arab World and they are very keen to buy and read books in Arabic and English. UAE initiatives to publish books in Arabic will have a very positive effect on reading habits in the next few years. We have also noticed that audio books are very popular with Arabic speakers. The important thing will be to encourage and support the translators of books from English to Arabic. Currently no one is paying this much attention, and therefore many of the books being translated are not of the standard of the original text.

How strong is the retail book market in the Gulf? What kinds of books are your customers buying?
Dubai and the rest of the UAE is a good market for books. We have a very broad selection of books in all categories. Our range in the larger shops will have over 65,000 titles in at any one time. Management books are very popular as are books on mind, body and spirit. Also any title that has a Middle Eastern flavour always appeals to the reader in this region.

Do you run activities in your shops to attract customers?
We have book clubs, author signings, creative writing workshops, readings and story telling to name but a few of the activities that take place on a regular basis.

You are using franchising as a way of expanding in the region. What are the advantages of this?
Franchising is a proven way of expanding your business whist still maintaining some control. It is very important that someone in each location is involved and has a vested interest in the bookshop for it to be successful. Bookselling is still very personal and needs people who are passionate about books.

Will Magrudy's be attending the London Book Fair in 2008?
Yes, we will be there to launch the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature which we are organizing. This will be an annual Dubai event from February 2009

What plans are there for the future of Magrudy’s?
It is a very busy time for us with a rapid expansion plan in the UAE and a franchise operation for the GCC countries. We have already signed up our franchisee in Qatar and are in talks with most of the other countries. We have secured new warehousing at Dubai Logistics City, which will be finished late next year and Magrudy’s Educational Resource Centre grows from strength to strength, offering professional development for teachers as well as a dedicated stop to see all the latest books on offer for the educational market. Jerboa Books, our sister publishing company, has produced over 80 books so far with more in the pipeline. It is hoped these quality books for children in both Arabic and English, with their ‘feet’ firmly in the Middle East, will fill a gap of much needed materials.

These are but a few of the initiatives that Magrudy’s will take forward over the next 12 months.