UAE. Abu Dhabi Duty Free’s state of the art new Food & Chocolate shop, which opened on June 1, has got off to a flying start, according to managing director Mohamed Mounib.
“The new shop has exceeded all our budget forecasts and is doing fantastically well,” he said. “We are up by +15-17% over last year in the first few days.”
So successful is the store, that Mounib believes confectionery and food will soon be the retailer’s leading category. “”Very soon it’s going to be our number one,” he enthused. “It’s currently number two but it has huge scope to grow.”
With the new store layout, the check-out counters are now at the back of the store instead of the front as before, allowing customers to walk freely into the area and out through the back, which is also open. Previously, they had to enter and exit through the check-out area, which cluttered an already crowded store.
The shop has been enlarged and refurbished in line with the overall development of the airport. It features a major emphasis on personalisation for leading houses such as Nestlé, Mars, Toblerone, Ferrero, Cadbury, Lindt, Nido, Tang, Lipton and many more.
To help drive footfall and spend, the shop also features branded corners for mass cosmetics brands L’Oreal and Revlon, which have proven highly successful in the existing foods area.
