October breaks all records at Dubai Duty Free

The month closed with sales of Dhs132 million (US$37 million) which represents a 21% increase over the same period last year.

Two daily sales records were set and surpassed in the month and on October 24th the new daily record was declared when sales reached a staggering Dhs5.8 million (US$1.6 million). On that day, the operation handled over 33,751 transactions.

Commenting on the record figures, Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free said: "For most of this year, our sales figures have been running at about 15% above last year. However, October has seen sales go through the roof. We passed the Dhs1 billion (US$278 million) on October 17th and expect to finish the year with sales of Dhs1.25 billion (US$350 million)."

Many categories showed significant increases across the board, including Perfumes, sales of which totaled Dhs16 million (US$4.5 million) for the month, representing an impressive 25% increase over the same period last year. Similarly, Electronics rose by 24% and Gold by 14%.

Record sales figures and 20th anniversary plans were very much the focus for the Dubai Duty Free team attending the annual Tax Free World Exhibition held in Cannes last week.

The operation celebrates 20 years on 20th December this year and as part of its anniversary celebrations, it was announced last week in Cannes that all sales generated on December 20th would be donated to charity. The announcement was well received by both the trade press and suppliers attending the exhibition.

"The announcement to donate the daily sales to charity created quite a stir among the trade in Cannes," said Mr. McLoughlin. "It is seen as a highly unusual gesture from a retailer and one that will result in enormous benefits for a number of worthy causes."

Dubai Duty Free's proceeds on December 20th will be presented to a select number of charities, including The Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation.