Dubai Duty Free is the biggest airport retail operation

The ranking has been granted by Generation Research, the independent industry experts, placing Dubai Duty Free ahead of Seoul Incheon International Airport and London Heathrow, both of which just crossed the $1billion sales mark.

Dubai Duty Free, with its sales of $1.1bn generated last year, accounted for five percent of the airport duty free business, and three percent of the wider duty free and travel retail global business.

The Dubai International Airport (DIA), which is home to Dubai Duty Free, recorded a double-digit growth year-on-year, in terms of passenger traffic in June. It is the sixth busiest airport, handling about 19.5million passengers during the first half of this year, an increase by 5 percent compared to same period last year.

Last year, the global duty free and travel retail business increased to $37bn, an increase of 8.8 percent over the previous year, from which, the airport duty free sales accounted for $21.8bn.

For the past several years, Dubai duty Free is among the top three airport retailers in the world, in terms of sales. Hence, it is a great achievement to be at the top, said Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Airports.

In the month of June, Dubai Duty Free was also awarded ‘Best Duty Free Shopping’ in the world, during the 2009 World Airport survey by Skytrax.

Posted on 5/8/2009

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