UAE | General
DDF marks 25 years of excellence
With a string of fantastic results over the years, Dubai Duty Free has evolved from being just an airport player to becoming a household name.
- By Mariam M. Al Serkal, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:36 December 25, 2008
- Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
- Dubai Duty Free, which opened its doors in 1983, has grown extensively over the years, with staff numbers swelling from 100 to the current 3,500.
Dubai: Shopping is the favourite pastime for most residents and the last chance to do some more shopping when travelling abroad is at the Duty Free at Dubai International Airport.
Dubai Duty Free (DDF) opened its doors to the public on December 20, 1983 and has come a long way since then.
The shopping haven was launched 24 years after Dubai International Airport was launched. The airport was opened in 1960 when the then Ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, ordered the construction of the first airfield. The airfield consisted of a 1,800 metres compacted runway, an apron area, a small terminal building and a fire station.
DDF has expanded hand-in-hand with the expansion of Dubai Airport; the latest being with the launch of Emirates Terminal 3 that was held last October.
The opening of Terminal 3 this year has resulted in the retail operation of DDF more than doubling in size from 7,000 square metres to 15,000 square metres.
In celebration of its 25th anniversary last Saturday, DDF offered a 25 per cent discount to travellers during the day. The milestone was celebrated with a cake-cutting ceremony and a host of promotional activities.
Colm McLoughlin, managing director of Dubai Duty Free, told Gulf News earlier last week: "We see this as a way of saying thank you to our customers who have helped Dubai Duty Free to achieve such fantastic results over the years."
The Duty Free started out in the '80s with 100 staff members and has now expanded to more than 3,500, with an average of 60,000 daily sales transactions. The area initially consisted of 24 shops, a post office, an information office, a branch of a bank, and an exhibition of the local heritage.
One of the main attractions now at DDF is the million dollar campaign that keeps on growing in numbers.
The first time the Multi-Millionaire campaign was launched in late 1999 that offered 5,000 participants the chance to buy tickets for Dh1,000 and win $1 million (Dh3.67 million), and in 2002, the DDF added the draw for Harley Davidson motorbikes.
The Multi-Millionaire campaign has now become an ongoing promotion that takes place every 6 to 8 weeks. As part of the 25th anniversary celebrations, DDF has launched a new campaign where 5,000 participants have the opportunity to win $5 million, with tickets priced at Dh5,000 each.
The Duty Free is not only a place where residents leaving for the holidays and passengers in transit can buy gifts for their family, but has become a household name as soon as it lent its name to the Dubai Duty Free Snooker Classic in the early 90's.
It has been organising the ATP Men's Tennis Open since 1993 and also launched the WTA Ladies Open Tennis Tournament in 2001.
It also sponsors the Dubai Desert Classic annual golf tournament.
IN DEMAND
The most popular items bought at Dubai Duty Free are:
- 1 Perfumes
- 2 Liquor
- 3 Gold
- 4 Electronics
- 5 Cigarettes tobacco and cigars
– Source: Dubai Duty Free
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