Dubai Duty Free has announced a 10% increase in sales for the first half of the year with turnover reaching Dhs3.671 billion (US$1 billion) and placing the operation well on track to reach Dhs7.400 billion (US$2 billion) by year-end. 

Liquor, Perfumes and Tobacco retained the top three category positions with Liquor showing a 7% increase year to date (YTD) amounting to Dhs553.14 million (US$151.55 million), while Perfumes, which account for 15% of total sales, reached Dhs534.57 million (US$146.46 million).  Tobacco sales increased by 36% over last year. Other notable increases in sales were seen in Cosmetics which rose by 27% and Electronics by 25% YTD.  For the first six months Dubai Duty Free recorded 12,769,905 individual sales transactions with average daily sales of Dhs20.28 million (US$5.6 million).

Commenting on the half year sales, Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free said: “2018 has been a fantastic year for Dubai Duty Free so far.  We have continuously grown our business and are happy to see a double digit increase for the first half. With new retail areas now operational and ongoing retail developments coming on stream at both Dubai International and Al Maktoum International, we are confident that we will reach the US$2 billion mark at the end of December, which also marks our 35th anniversary.”

Accounting for 88% of the total revenue, retail sales in Departures (DXB and AMIA) show an 11% increase over the same period last year reaching Dhs3.2 billion (US$889.35 million). Meanwhile sales across all Concourses have registered significant increases with overall sales in Concourse C in Terminal 3 up 60% over last year, mainly as a result of new retail areas opened in recent months. In addition, Concourse A sales are up by 16%, Terminal 2 Departure sales are up by 14%, Concourse D sales are up by 8%, and Concourse B is up by 6%.

The ongoing major refurbishment of Concourse C, which features newly opened Watches and Electronics shops, will be completed by year end and will cover a total of 4,700sqm.   Meanwhile Al Maktoum International Airport (AMIA) Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) has also recently completed the redevelopment of the existing Departures Area, including a new and refurbished Gifts from Dubai, Electronics, Perfumes & Cosmetics, and Liquor & Tobacco shops. By year-end, Dubai Duty Free at AMIA will have grown to 4,500sqm in retail space, from the previous 2,500 sqm.

Meanwhile, recruitment at Dubai Duty Free continued in the second quarter of 2018 bringing the level of employees to 6,070, which includes 783 Chinese staff representing 13% of its total manpower. Dubai Duty Free recruited its first Chinese employee in 2006 and has welcomed 190 staff from China this year alone to cater to the growing number of Chinese travelers who account for 15 % of total sales.

In the meantime, the operation is continuing with its busy events and promotional calendar, which includes the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup taking place at the Ascot Racecourse on 11th August, followed by the Dubai Duty Free International Weekend on 21 and 22 September at the historic Newbury Racecourse.