Dubai: Airport retailer Dubai Duty Free revealed its milestones over the last 30 years in a statement on Thursday.
“Dubai Duty Free’s retail operation has grown dramatically and in line with the expansion plans of Dubai Airport and the airlines, in particular Emirates,” the statement said.
Dubai Duty Free opened on December 20, 1983, and has since grown to become one of the leading airport retailers in the world, with a sales turnover of $1.8 billion this year.
The retailer has extended its operations from Dubai International Airport to Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central. Today, it operates 26,000 square metres of retail space at Dubai International and 2,500 square metres at Al Maktoum International.
“Of the many milestones over the past three decades, I am most proud of the fact that Dubai Duty Free has developed a reputation for looking after its people. We currently employ 6,000 staff including 44 of the original 100 employees from 1983,” Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman of Dubai Duty Free, said in the statement.
1983- Dubai Duty Free opens
1984- First full year sales reach Dh 70 million
1994- Achieved over Dh 521 million worth of sales for the year
1998- Opened Dubai Duty Free Terminal 2
2003- Achieved record annual sales of over Dh1.30 billion
2004- Takes the third spot in the world in terms of turnover
2013- Dubai International Airport opened Concourse A, giving Dubai Duty Free a retail space of 26,000 square metres.
Year-end sales reached Dh 6.6 billion.
