A gold ring bought on impulse turned into an apartment for Ethel Metry, a Filipina who has lived in Dubai for close to two decades and now ranks among the latest to claim a studio unit through the Win Your Home in Dubai campaign.
The purchase happened at Jawhara during a quick stop before she flew home to the Philippines for a break. A sales associate handling the transaction pointed her toward the promotion and told her to upload the receipt to qualify. What she treated as a routine gift for a relative ended up being the entry that changed things.
By the time organizers reached her, doubt came before joy. “I have seen so many stories about people winning amazing prizes in Dubai, but I never imagined I would be one of them. When I received the call, I wanted it to be true, but I was also worried it wasn’t. I even went on Instagram and looked at all the previous winners before it finally felt real,” she recalled. A weak phone line during the call from the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment left her uncertain, and only the follow-up email settled it.
Her husband was the first person she reached. “The first person I called was my husband, and I told him, ‘I won an apartment.’ His first response was, ‘Are you serious?’ We were both in disbelief. This is the first raffle I have ever entered and the first time I have ever won anything. It is unbelievable.” She has not settled on what to do with the studio, though holding property in her own name in the city where she has built her life carries weight after so many years there.
She has since urged her sister to keep spending before the campaign closes, hoping the luck extends through the family. “Nothing is impossible. It really happens. People really do win from simply shopping. I have already told my sister that it’s still running until 30 August and encouraged her to keep shopping because maybe she will be the next winner,” she said.
The campaign is a joint effort between DFRE, which sits under the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, and Dubai Chambers, putting 12 Binghatti Developers residential units up for grabs across the city. Shoppers aged 18 and older qualify by spending AED 500 at any of over 1,000 participating brands spread across more than 3,500 outlets, then scanning the QR code on campaign materials and uploading their receipt.
Three weekly draws remain, set for August 16, 23, and 30 at Dubai Festival City Mall, each awarding a studio unit, with a two-bedroom apartment reserved as the grand prize at the final draw.
