Qatar Duty Free acquires Qatar Distribution Company, Garrett Coogan joins QDF as Vice President
Experienced travel retail industry executive Garrett Coogan joins QDF as Vice President following a six-year stint at the helm of QDC
Qatar Duty Free (QDF) has fully acquired Qatar Distribution Company (QDC), the sole licensed distributor of wines and spirits in Qatar.
According to QDF, the acquisition further diversifies the company’s business, expanding its operations into distribution and domestic retail in line with the organization’s ambitious growth plans.
QDC exclusively offers a wide range of wines and spirits to licensed hotels and qualifying private individuals in Qatar. Since its establishment in 2000, QDC has been operated on behalf of Qatar Airways by Aer Rianta International-Middle East (ARI-ME). This partnership has played a pivotal role in driving the growth and the success of the QDC business for the past 20 years.
In a pivotal role during this transition period and beyond, experienced industry executive Garrett Coogan joins QDF as Vice President following a six-year stint at the helm of QDC. Over the course of his 30+ year retail career with Aer Rianta, Coogan held leadership positions at airport duty free operations in Russia, Ukraine, Bahrain and Cyprus, before joining QDC in 2018. Under Coogan’s leadership QDC doubled the number of outlets serviced across Qatar and contributed to a hugely successful FIFA World Cup.
In his new role, he will manage the core duty free business at Hamad International Airport, reflecting his extensive retail expertise and making him a key appointment to the Qatar Duty Free team.
Qatar Duty Free Senior Vice President, Thabet Musleh, commented, “The acquisition of QDC is an important milestone in our ongoing mission to expand Qatar Duty Free’s business by leveraging our significant retail, marketing and logistics expertise. Having consolidated our position in wine and spirits across Hamad International Airport’s retail, and now in the local market, we believe there is significant growth to be delivered by driving greater efficiencies and synergies across this footprint. We extend our gratitude to the team at Aer Rianta for its successful stewardship of the QDC business over the last twenty-plus years.
“I’m also delighted to welcome Garrett Coogan to the QDF leadership team. Having worked with Garrett during his tenure at QDC, I appreciate first-hand the knowledge and experience he will bring to our business. His deep understanding of the local market, combined with a truly international perspective, is a formidable combination and something we can draw on as we continue to execute our
growth strategy.”
