A retail milestone: Dubai Duty Free Mark posts AED8 billion in sales

Dubai Duty Free reached an historic milestone on December 9 when the airport retailer passed AED8 billion (US$218 million) in sales for the first time in its 42-year history.

The sale of a twin pack of Marlboro Lights purchased for AED371 by an Indian passenger travelling to Delhi was the item that pushed sales over the AED8 billion mark.

This achievement is the continuation of record monthly sales this year, with 9 out of 11 months setting new records, topped by November’s all time high sales of AED876.56 million (US$240.16 million).

Recognizing the historic milestone in Terminal 3 on December 10, Ramesh Cidambi, Managing Director, who was accompanied by the management team and staff, said, “It’s a momentous occasion to cross the AED8 billion mark for the first-time ever in the company’s history. From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank all of you who are working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – on the shopfloor and in the back office - to make these transactions happen and to drive the business to this level at year end. We are up 17.6% compared to last December for the first nine days. The last few days have been fantastic, and we are up 9.8% for the year, which is AED710 million more than what we achieved last year – equivalent to one full month of sales.

“Our Chairman, H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum congratulated each and every member of the Dubai Duty Free team for the outstanding performance in November and looks forward to a strong finish for the year,” Cidambi added

Looking ahead to the remainder of the year, the retail operation will celebrate its 42nd Anniversary on December 20, and will mark the occasion by offering a 25% discount on a wide range of products.