From 1976 to now: How Shabbir Merchant from Pakistan built 51 years of roots in Dubai

Dubai: Shabbir Merchant arrived in Dubai in February 1976. He was 17 years old, invited by his elder brother who had already set up in the emirate. He had no way of knowing he would never really leave.

This February marked the start of his 51st year in the UAE. He has built a business here, married here, raised three children here and become a grandfather here. When asked whether he ever considers going back to Pakistan, his answer is immediate.

"I prefer to die here whenever my time comes. I am very thankful and grateful for the blessings this country has given me."

Shabbir spent his first 13 years working with his brother. In November 1989, he launched Champion, drawing on a name his father had already established in Pakistan, he is also the chairman of the Pakistan Business Council in Dubai.

It started with handcrafted neon signs. For a decade, that was the core of what the company did. Then the industry shifted.

"Technology started to shift from neon and it all started to become LED," his son Shoaib recalls. "That was the pivot, where we decided to invest in newer technologies and look at what Europe and North America were doing."

New materials came in. New machinery. The company gradually widened its scope from signboards into events, exhibitions and digital solutions. Today the group runs four companies covering signage, digital and interactive technologies, events and exhibitions, and digital marketing.

"The foundation still remains the same," Shoaib says. "It comes from him. We try our best to carry that legacy forward."

Shoaib left Dubai for university in Canada but returned in 2013. He describes it simply: "Once you're a Dubai kid, you're always a Dubai kid. There's something about this city that always tries to pull you back in."

He remembers a sign that used to sit on his father's desk during childhood visits to the office. "It takes years to find a customer and seconds to lose one." That line, he says, shapes how he runs the business today. Champion still has clients on its books from 1989.

"It is not about adding new clients. It is about making sure every client is satisfied with every project."

Shazil, the younger son, studied electrical and electronic engineering before returning to Dubai and launching Champion Digital. The division now covers LED screens, interactive technologies and humanoid robots, the latter drawing significant attention at recent trade shows.

They had a humanoid robot dressed in Emirati attire dancing, doing 6-7, giving people high-fives and interacting with them at the MIITE. "People who didn't even have any requirements stopped to ask questions about the robot," Shazil says.

What he carries most from his father also comes down to one word.

"Commitment. To clients, to suppliers, to stakeholders. You honour your commitments regardless of the situation."

Shabbir has lived through economic downturns, Covid and the current geopolitical uncertainty. Each time, he says, the UAE government stood by its business community.

"Good and bad times I have seen. But whatever happens, I don't want to go back. In every circumstance, they have fully supported all the business community."

As chairman of the Pakistan Business Council Dubai, he has watched that support play out consistently across institutions, from banks and customs to the port and municipality.

His advice to young people starting out is rooted in his own story. "One should not think to be rich in a short time. It takes time." He has never taken a bank loan or overdraft in over five decades of business.

All three of Shabbir's children were born in Dubai and Sharjah. All three were educated here, married here and are raising their own children here.

"This is my first home," he says. "I have been here since I was 17 years of age. I have seen all the ups and downs. I have seen all that."

For Shazil, born and raised in the UAE, the answer requires no thought at all.

"UAE is home. It is literally home. There is no other way."