A record 2006 for Dubai Duty Free

Dubai Duty Free celebrated the New Year by announcing record 2006 sales, signaling a new retailing milestone for the operation. Sales totaled US$712 million, a remarkable 20 percent increase over 2005.

“It has been another highly successful year for Dubai Duty Free,” said H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai’s Department of Civil Aviation. “The turnover reflects the operation’s determination to retain its position as one of the top three duty free operations in the world. I congratulate the team at Dubai Duty Free on its record-breaking achievements.”

While sales throughout the year showed a consistent increase, the last quarter saw sales rise significantly. December was a fitting end to the year as sales for the month reached US$80 million, which is fully 33 percent higher than December 2005 – itself a record-setter.

“2006 has been a fantastic year for the operation, which on average handled over 44,000 sales transactions per day or 16 million transactions in the year,” said Colm McLoughlin, managing director of Dubai Duty Free. “These figures are an indication of the hard work undertaken by our team here at Dubai Duty Free. I would like to take this opportunity to thank H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum for his ongoing support and join H.H. in thanking all of our staff for helping us achieve a new annual record.”

Perfumes were the number one category for 2006 with sales of US$96 million - 28 percent over 2005. Liquor came second in sales with a 20 percent increase while gold was third highest and was up by 19 percent. Notable increases also came in cosmetics at 40 percent, while gifts rose 32 percent. In quantity terms, DDF sold close to 53 million units of merchandise over the past year, which involved the movement of around 228 pallets of goods per day.

Source: Gulf-Africa Duty Free