UAE. Dubai Duty Free today announced what it called “an historic milestone” with 2025 sales across Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airports reaching AED8.680 billion (US$2.378 billion), a +9.85% increase over 2024, marking the most successful year in the retailer’s remarkable 42-year story.
The business recorded over 21 million transactions during the year – an average of 58,212 per day – with 56.796 million units of merchandise sold.
The extraordinary result was driven by ten record-breaking months, including a stellar December when sales reached AED922.77 million (US$252.81 million) – the highest monthly sales in Dubai Duty Free’s history and up +12.27% year-on-year.
December sales were further fuelled by the retailer’s 42nd anniversary celebrations on 20 December when the operation offered a -25% discount, resulting in a shopping spree of AED69.097 million (US$19 million) over 24 hours.
The outstanding December record sales and the milestone annual sales highlight robust year-end demand and sustained momentum across key product categories, the company noted.
Results at a glance
|
Dubai Duty Free Managing Director Ramesh Cidambi said, “Our 2025 performance is due to the focus, resilience and dedication of the team under difficult conditions combined with great support from our suppliers and brand partners.
“They have worked together to increase customer engagement and spend and helped deliver AED8.680 billion (US$2.378 billion) in sales while breaking records in ten out of twelve months this year.
“In what has been a truly historic year for Dubai Duty Free, I would like to extend my since thanks to our Chairman H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum for his unwavering support over the past four decades, and in particular for his guidance and encouragement throughout this landmark year,” added Cidambi.
Growth in sales exceeded passenger traffic by an estimated +5% (the final passenger numbers for 2025 will only be released by Dubai Airport later this month), demonstrating the effectiveness of a strategy designed to increase penetration, improve conversion and overall transaction value, Dubai Duty Free said.
Strong multi-category performance delivers record results
Dubai Duty Free’s 2025 results were supported by consistent performance across its core product categories. The top five categories for the year were perfumes, liquor, gold, tobacco and confectionery.
Perfumes remained the leading category, AED1.601 billion (US$438.668 million) and accounting for 18.45% of total sales.
Liquor followed with sales of AED1.061 billion (US$290.605 million), representing a 12.22% slice of a giant-sized pie.
Gold recorded AED896.456 million (US$245.604 million) in revenues, taking a 10.33% share, while tobacco ranked fourth with AED883.595 million (US$242.081 million) in sales and 10.18% of total revenue.
The resurgent confectionery category snared fifth place with sales of AED845.486 million (US$231.640 million), accounting for 9.74% of total annual sales. This performance was driven by outstanding sales of Dubai Chocolate, now a sub-category in its own right, which sold 719 tonnes across 13 brands, including two Dubai Duty Free exclusives: Patchi Pistachio Kunafa Bar and Habibe Chocolate.
Sales by channel, location and destination analysis
Departures sales totaled AED7.864 billion (US$2.155 billion), accounting for 90.60% of annual sales, while the arrivals business reached Dhs550.859 million (US$150.920 million), representing 6.35% of total annual sales.
Online sales reached AED230.061 million (US$63.030million), accounting for 2.65% of revenue.
In December, all major regions recorded sales growth. Sales to passengers on Russian routes saw the highest increase at +25.7% followed by the rest of Europe (including the UK) at +19.2%, Africa +17.1%, the Middle East +11.8%, the Far East +8.6%, the Americas +8.2% and the Indian sub-continent +5.1%.
Among the main concourses, Concourse A was the top performer with a 25.6% sales increase in December, followed by Concourse C at 22.3% and Terminal 2 at 20.5%.
For the full year, among the major regions, Europe was top performer with growth of 18.3%, followed by Africa (up 14%), the Americas (up 11.6%), the Middle East (11.3%), Russia (up 9.9%) and both the Far East and the Indian sub-continent at around 5%.
A year defined by momentum and milestones
The year was notable for the opening of multiple boutiques and concept stores, introducing refreshed retail concepts and immersive brand experiences, including the redesigned of its arrival shops across three terminals (see Moodie Davitt STUDIO videos below) which included the opening of Les Caves de Champagne in Terminal 3, luxury boutiques in Concourse A including Louis Vuitton and Cartier, and the Royal Salute Whisky boutique, also in Concourse A.
Exclusive product launches, including travel retail only and limited-edition collections, combined with a calendar of unique promotions and signature campaigns, further enhanced customer engagement and loyalty.
Dubai Duty Free estimates that exclusive products contributed approximately 12% of total sales in the major categories.
[If you build it, they will come, to slightly tweak the famous line from Field of Dreams. Build it, Dubai Duty Free certainly did, with an ambitious makeover of its multi-terminal arrivals shopping offer at Dubai International Airport. Earlier this year The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie toured the new-look stores with Dubai Duty Free Managing Director Ramesh Cidambi, filming them courtesy of our Moodie Davitt STUDIO division and discovering the transformational impact of the project.]
“Dubai Duty Free’s success in 2025 was built steadily month by month, with ten months achieving record sales (January, February, April, May, July, August, September, October, November and December) – reflecting sustained consumer demand, effective merchandising strategies and operational excellence across Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport,” the company said.
“These achievements underscore Dubai Duty Free’s continued innovation and leadership in the travel retail sector.”
Year-to-date sales have reached AED7.75 billion (US$2.13 billion), an increase of +9.57% compared to the same period last year.
Growth in sales exceeded passenger traffic by an estimated 10% (the final passenger numbers for November will only be released by Dubai Airport later this month), demonstrating the effectiveness of its strategy designed to increase penetration, improve conversion and overall transaction value, Dubai Duty Free said. ✈
