Iqra Trading began business in May 2007. Here’s how it started in the words of our Founder and CEO, Michelle Wilson Al-Helou: ‘When I first came to Qatar and started setting up schools here I was unable to find even the most basic items most schools require. There were a few toyshops but frankly the products available were cheap and not suitable for heavy duty school use. The bookshops were a similar story (excuse the pun). English medium books were either imported from the South Asia market or generally poor quality and the only textbooks I could find were for the American curriculum. Office furniture was abundantly available but not school furniture. I flew many times to Dubai to try to get what I needed but this was a time and expense I could do without as, whilst it is true that the actual flight to Dubai is less than an hour, in reality I was losing a minimum of a day from my base in Qatar every time I was working on the procurement aspect of a project.

I decided to go direct to source and started approaching suppliers and publishers across the world for direct import to Qatar. I will tell you that when a number of suppliers and publishers sent samples addressed to “Qatar, UAE” I was frankly annoyed and offended. In addition, when I was directed to distributors based in the UAE who agreed to meet me ‘when they were next in Qatar’ I was not impressed.

Qatar is an amazing country with an amazing population. It is a strong, proud, sovereign state and it is developing fast. The country’s own slogan is ‘Qatar Deserves the Best.” When I set up Iqra Trading Company it was because I believe that it does deserve the best. At Iqra Trading Company we specialize in ONLY the Qatar market with all its unique challenges and opportunities. We are right here, in Qatar, 365 days a year serving the education market with commitment, hard work and dedication.

In our first year of trading we shook up and shocked the existing status quo for education supplies in Qatar. We have continued to grow on that success and introduced many new suppliers and publishers to the Qatar market and our customer base is now extremely diverse. We have earned a respect and reputation from customers and suppliers alike of which we are extremely proud and upon which we are determined to continue to build. To our existing partners we would like to thank you for your continued support. To our future customers and partners we look forward to working with you.