Record day marks anniversary of Dubai Duty Free

Commenting on the record sales, H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation said: "These really are remarkable sales figures and I congratulate Dubai Duty Free on the successes over the past twenty years and look forward to even greater success in the future."

As Dubai Duty Free's 20th anniversary plans got underway on the shopfloor on December 20th, it became clear that the previous daily sales record of Dhs5.9 million (US$1.6 million), set just one day before on December 19th, would be broken. The anniversary offer of providing shoppers with 20% discount had the desired effect of setting sales soaring, resulting in a phenomenal 35,733 sales transactions on the day.

"To mark our 20th anniversary, Dubai Duty Free decided to provide a number of local charities with their own reason to celebrate by making a donation to charity," said Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free. "We also wanted to say thank you to our customers by offering 20% discount on a wide range of products. The end result has been a fantastic day of sales of just under US$2 million and one that will go down in the record books for some time to come."

In a day that witnessed much sales activity on the shopfloor, Dubai Duty Free took the opportunity of the 20th anniversary to acknowledge its long serving staff. Of the original 100 staff who were with the operation when it opened for business in December 1983, 64 staff still remain and are referred to as the 'pioneers'. On the anniversary day, each pioneer received a personal tribute from fellow pioneers Colm McLoughlin and George Horan, General Manager, Dubai Duty Free.

"It is a remarkable testament to the operation that so many of the original team continue to work for Dubai Duty Free," said Colm McLoughlin. "On behalf of the entire team of 1,200 staff, I would like to thank the Government of Dubai and particularly H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum for such ongoing support and dedication."

The anniversary also provided the operation with the opportunity to double up on its Millennium Millionaire promotion and a draw for two dollar millionaires took place in Series 33 and Series 34.