The New Year began on a high note for Dubai Duty Free with the operation announcing an all-time sales record of Dhs 7.885 billion ($2.16 billion) for 2023, representing a 24.39 percent increase over the previous year and 6.40 percent up on pre-pandemic in 2019.

December finished with record monthly sales of Dhs 807.6 million ($221 million), an 8.37 per cent increase compared to 2022. December sales were further fuelled by Dubai Duty Free’s 40th anniversary celebrations when the operation offered a 25 percent discount on 20th December, which resulted in a shopping spree of Dhs 54.1 million (US$14.8 million) for 24 hours.

Reflecting on the year at Dubai Duty Free, Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, said, “We are thrilled to have achieved our target sales for the year, a record month in December and a record year in 2023, which culminated with our celebrations of our milestone 40th Anniversary. Overall, it has been a fantastic year and I would like to thank our Chairman Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum for his unwavering support. Thanks also to our great team of staff, our suppliers, the media and, of course, our customers, for their contribution to our continued growth and success over four decades.”

The operation recorded over 20 million sales transactions throughout the year, or an average of 55,000 sales transactions per day, while a staggering 55.2 million units of merchandise were sold.

The top five selling categories for the year were Perfumes followed by Liquor, Gold, Cigarettes & Tobacco and Electronics. With sales of AED 1.366 billion ($374 million), Perfume contributed 17 percent of total sales and retained its position as the top selling category. Sales of Liquor reached Dhs 1.130 billion (US$310 million) and accounted for 14 percent of the total annual sales.

Meanwhile, Gold recorded sales of Dhs 773,506 million (US$212 million) and contributed 10 percent towards total revenue.