Dubai Duty Free closes in on $1 billion record sales target

Dubai: Dubai Duty Free has announced half-year sales of Dh1.9 billion ($537 million), which represent a 31per cent increase over the same period last year.

Topping the sales category list at Dubai Duty Free is perfumes, which rose by 34 per cent in the first half of this year to $75 million, while gold retained its No.3 slot with sales of $62 million representing a 40 per cent increase over 2007.

Other notable increases in sales were seen in electronics, which rose by 28 per cent, confectionery (38 per cent) and cosmetics (39 per cent).

Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free said: "We are well on track to exceed $1 billion and that is a great achievement for all involved. There are many exciting things lined up for the operation during the rest of this year, which will culminate on our anniversary day on December 20th.''

Included in the activities is the move to Dubai Duty Free's brand new Warehouse and Distribution

Centre in Ramoul, which began operations in June and will become the centralized warehouse and distribution centre for the operation.

Featuring a semi-automated retrieval and storage system, the 27,000 square metre facility is the largest of its kind in the Middle East