On February 21, the cash registers at Dubai Duty Free were ringing as the shopping complex posted a new daily record of Dh4.3 million ($1.2 million) in sales, representing over 29,000 transactions.

The new record was reached almost a year after setting the previous mark of Dh3.68 million ($1 million) on March 2, 2001.

"The new record was set at the beginning of Eid Al Adha and it is a great indicator for the first quarter of 2002. An analysis of the sales figures on the day shows an increase in luxury food and gift items and reflect the purchasing trends of passengers during Eid holidays," said Colm McLoughlin, managing director of DDF.

The biggest sales on the day were found in two FoodPlus outlets with delicatessen items accounting for Dh423,000. Food sales were closely followed by confectionery, which reached a record of Dh419,000.

Perfume sales topped Dh401,000, closely followed by gold, which accounted for Dh398,000 worth of sales.

"We are delighted with the new daily record and are determined to keep on track to reach our annual sales target of Dh1 billion in 2002," added McLoughlin.

DDF ended 2001 with record sales of Dh888 million.

The first quarter of 2002 began on a positive note with the DDF winning two awards: 'Most Distinctive Retail Operation in the Middle East' in the Gulf and Africa Duty Free Awards and the Dubai Quality Award for 'Company of the Year - Trade' in the Gold category.