Dubai Duty Free marked its 34th anniversary in style as it welcomed passengers travelling through Dubai with a special 25% discount on a wide range of merchandise over three days which began at midnight on 18th December and continued until the operation’s anniversary day on 20th December. Total sales for the three days reached Dhs196 million (US$54 million).

The anniversary discount for 72 hours resulted in a spending spree at Dubai International and at Al Maktoum International with sales figures on 18th December reaching Dhs36.929 million (US$10.117 million) and Dhs37.216 million (US$10.196 million) on 19th December.  On the anniversary day itself, 20th December, Dubai Duty Free daily sales reached Dhs121.511 million (US$33.291 million) in the 24-hour period.    

From a category point of view, Perfume was the highest selling category with sales of Dhs45.259 million (US$12.4 million) followed by Cosmetics with sales of Dhs39.329 million (US$10.775 million) and Watches with sales of Dhs35.064 million (US$9.606 million).

Commenting on the success of 34th anniversary, Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free said: “The anniversary celebrations spread over three days were fantastic. We are glad to see such positive sales results across all the concourses. Extending a 25% discount to our customers is our way of saying thank you for their support throughout the year.”

During the three-day 34th anniversary sales, Dubai Duty Free’s Distribution Centre issued over 2,283 pallets of merchandise and conducted 212 trips from the warehouse to the airport. The highest number of pallets was issued on 14th December with 897 pallets being delivered in 85 trips.

The total number of picks in the warehouse during this period was 22,077 for 882,559 units of merchandise, with the highest picks on 19th December for over 411,685 units of merchandise.

Over the three-day period (18th, 19th and 20th December), the cash registers recorded a total of 375,000 sales transactions with nearly 107,000 sales transactions alone on 20th December.

The Dubai Duty Free anniversary promotion is now a highly-anticipated event with many travelers choosing to travel on the days when the 25% discount is offered. The first anniversary sale Dubai Duty Free introduced was on its 20th Anniversary in 2003.

The 34th anniversary also saw a series of celebrations in various locations over three days led by Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Ramesh Cidambi, Chief Operating Officer and members of the senior management team who conducted the Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise draws as well as other promotional activities.

The Dubai Duty Free staff also enjoyed a special ‘Staff Surprise’ draw which resulted in a total of Dhs90, 000 being won by employees. In addition, the executive team also awarded a Certificate of Appreciation to long-serving employees who have been with the company for 20 years, 25 years and 30 years.

Dubai Duty Free currently employs over 5,900 staff and of the original 100 staff who joined in December 1983, 27 remain in active service and are referred to as the ‘Pioneers’.