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Dubai: Dubai Duty Free (DDF), operator of the region's largest travel retail facility, on Sunday said, its half-yearly sales jumped 31 per cent to Dh1.9 billion ($537 million) over the same period last year.
"The year 2008 promises to be a memorable year for Dubai Duty Free, which began operations on December 20, 1983, when it expects sales to pass the $1 billion (Dh3.67 billion) milestone," a DDF statement said.
Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of DDF, 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 on December 20."
Included in the activities is the move to Dubai Duty Free's brand new Warehouse and Distribution Centre in Ramoul that began operations in June, and will become the centralised 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.
Located next to the Warehouse and Distribution Centre is Dubai Duty Free's new head office, which covers an area of some 6,000 square metres and features ample office space, training facilities and a purpose-built auditorium. The move to the new head office has begun.
In preparation for the new airport expansion at Dubai International Airport, Dubai Duty Free has increased its staffing levels by 50 per cent in recent months to the current 3,000. The opening of Concourse 2 and Terminal 3 will result in an additional 10,000 square metres of retail space for DDF.
"The past year has seen the operation gear-up for the great plans ahead and we are looking forward to seeing these come to fruition," added McLoughlin. "In the meantime, sales are running at around 31 per cent ahead of last year which include significant increases in categories across the board."
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 third 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 which rose by 38 per cent and cosmetics with a rise of 39 per cent over the same period last year.
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