SPECIAL FEATURES: DUBAI DUTY FREE


Dubai Duty Free targets $2bn in 35th year


From $20m in its first year of trading to almost $2bn in 2017, Dubai Duty Free, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Colm McLoughlin tells Charlotte Turner how the company has evolved in the last 35 years and what he himself has learned in over 50 years spent in the duty free and travel retail business.


T


he end of this year marks DDF’s 35th anniversary. When you began operating


at Dubai Airport over three decades ago, can you honestly say you expected the business to grow in the way that is has to reach $2bn in sales? It was not really in our minds back in 1983 that our business would grow to be the largest single airport retailer in the world. But we always knew that it was going to be successful, as it was an ambition of the Government of Dubai to put Dubai on the map and that certainly has been achieved over the years. In our first full year of business our turnover reached US$20m and this


year we are going to reach US$2bn, which we are very excited about. As a business we have obviously


gone through so many changes over the years, but we have always retained our founding principles of offering value for money; offering a wide range of quality products and offering a first class customer service in a shopper friendly environment. I can honestly say that we have


adhered to these principles over the past 35 years and have continually adapted them as we have grown our retail footprint dramatically over the years. Since our first full year of business,


our sales have grown by 9,560% and our retail operation now covers


around 40,500sq m at both Dubai International and Al Maktoum International (AMIA) and we still continue to grow.


How is 2018 shaping up? For this year, there are a number of factors behind our continued sales growth, including the refurbishment of Concourse C, which will be fully completed by the end of the year and is looking fantastic. This, along with other ongoing projects – including plans at AMIA – ensure that our retail offer is always new, exciting and appeals to international travellers. We have also continued to work


closely with our suppliers and partners on innovative promotions


“Since our first full year of business, our sales have grown by 9,560% and our retail operation now covers around 40,500sq m at both Dubai International and Al Maktoum International and we still continue to grow.”


Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman, CEO, Dubai Duty Free


OCTOBER 2018 TOP 10 OPERATORS 83


Above: Perfumes and Cosmetics shop in Concourse C, which was recently renovated.


Below left: Electronics shop in Concourse D.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104