Since it was first established in 1888, the Fakhro organisation has played a leading role in the development of the Bahraini economy and society.

After inheriting the business from his father, the late Haji Yousif AbdulRahman Fakhro led a significant expansion of the business in the first half of the 20th century. Thus by the time of his death in 1952, the business had grown from one dealing in traditional building materials and dates to an active import-export business, supported by a fleet of 40 privately-owned traditional vessels (dhows). With branches in Bahrain, Iraq, the UAE, and India, the enterprise dealt with everything from cars to timber and from food to electrical and domestic products.

In the next generation, our late Chairman, Abdulla Yousif Fakhro, continued expanding the business line, and, under his leadership, new subsidiary companies and specialised divisions were created and added to the Group.