Dubai Duty Free Achieves Record AED7.901 Billion Turnover In 2024

Dubai Duty Free ended 2024 with a strong performance, setting a new annual turnover record of AED 7.901 billion (US$ 2.16 billion). This success was driven by a massive increase in sales towards the year's end.

December also set a new monthly sales record, reaching AED 821.94 million (US$ 225.19 million), which was a 2% increase compared to December 2023. That month had previously been the highest-grossing month in the history of Dubai Duty Free, WAM reported.

Dubai Duty Free recorded over 20.733 million sales transactions in 2024, averaging 56,649 per day. A total of 55.137 million units of merchandise were sold, and more than 13.7 million customers shopped at its arrival and departure stores.

Online sales reached AED197 million (US$ 54 million), making up 2.5% of total sales. Sales in departure areas increased by 0.84% year-on-year, totaling AED7.121 billion (US$ 1.951 billion), which accounted for 90% of the total turnover.

At the same time, the sales in arrival areas reduced by 12.21% and reached AED537 million (US$ 147 million), contributing only 6.8% to the total sales. In the future, Dubai Duty Free plans to improve its retail operations, including completing the final phase of renovations in the arrival shops across all three terminals by early this year.

At Dubai Duty Free three key indicators were higher in December – impulse, premium and luxury – celebrating its 41st anniversary on the 20th of that month. In this event, the retailer was selling several products at a 25% discount and managed to achieve sales of AED 59.99 million (US $ 16.44 million) in a single day.

It was achieved after recording increased sales in November in addition to a year-on-year increase in sales. The confectionery sector also maintained the highest growth rate in the last month of the year which was up by 29.46% of December 2023 sales records.

Dubai Duty Free, established in 1983, is a global airport retail store available at Dubai International Airport and Dubai's second airport- Al Maktoum Airport. These stores are today among the largest and most profitable duty free shop chains that offer fragrances and cosmetics, electronics, jewelry, chocolates, and other luxury items.

Last month, Director of the Public Beaches and Water Canals Department at Dubai Municipality Ibrahim Juma said Dubai's night-swimming beaches like Jumeirah 2, Jumeirah 3, and Umm Suqeim 1 attracted about 1.5 million visitors since opening in 2023.