UAE millionaires: Meet Sanjay and Vinay Jethwani of Meena Jewellers in Bur Dubai

Cousins Sanjay and Vinay who run the jewellery chain as co-owners, talk to Gulf News about life in Dubai, from humble beginnings to now running a billion dirham empire.

Meena Bazaar home to several gold shops

Today, Meena Bazaar is home to several gold shops of brands including Joy Alukkas, Malabar Gold, Kalyan Jewellers, Damas, Pink City by Anita Dongre, Siroya Jewellers and much more. These shops cater to needs of every segment of the South Asian society.

Sanjay said, “The shopping districts of Bur Dubai were founded on the hard work and perseverance of several Indian families who arrived in the UAE in the late 60s and early 70s. Back then, Bur Dubai and Deira were shopping districts that were home to some textile and electronic stores.

“However, a handful of traders found benefit after entering the gold business. Even though the gold hub of Dubai was the Deira Gold Souq, several traders found interest in opening their stores in Meena Bazaar. We were one among them.” The brand’s name, Meena Jewellery, came from Sanjay’s mother’s name, Meena.

And yet, the co-owners claimed, Meena Jewellers has created a branding of its own, standing tall among other jewellery brands.

So what sets them apart?

“Jewellery is stringed by thousands of emotions. Some are expressions of love, style and some add sparkle to one’s personality. These celebrated emotions make each piece of jewellery precious and exclusive in every right. May be it is this emotional attachment only that makes jewellery fantastically different and stylish in every right,” said Sanjay.

Vinay explained that what sets them apart is the fact that Meena Jewellery strives to build relations with their customers.

“Customer service is key. Of course our prices are very competitive as we work on volumes. The quantity of jewellery pieces we house in show rooms is way more than others. Its quality, quantity and good customer service that is driving our loyalists and their friends and several tourists to our stores,” said Vinay.

“We have customers coming to us from different parts of the world to shop gold for Indian weddings. It’s incredible.”

How do you keep costs low?

“We import directly from suppliers. And we import large quantities. This way we are able to source jewellery pieces at low price and thus we are passing it on for lower rates. Plus we ensure that we have a special connection with our customers. We take care of everything they want. That is how we keep getting them back as well.”

Gratitude to the UAE government

“Our success has come with hard work and the UAE government’s policies. The leaders of this country have a vision. The vision has been to expand and grow and this is what UAE has achieved. In all this various stakeholders involved have also grown. As the UAE grew, we too have grown,” said Sanjay.