Dubai Duty Free announced a historic milestone in annual sales for 2025, achieving Dhs 8.68 billion, representing a 9.85% increase over 2024 and making it the most successful year in the retailer's history.
December capped the year on a high note, with sales reaching Dhs 922.77 million, the highest monthly sales in the retailer’s 42 years and a 12.27% increase over December 2024. December sales were further fuelled by Dubai Duty Free’s 42nd anniversary celebrations. The sale on 20 December offered a 25% discount, which resulted in a shopping spree of Dhs 69.097 million within 24 hours. The outstanding December record sales and the milestone annual sales highlight robust year-end demand and sustained momentum across key product categories.
Commenting on the historic performance, Ramesh Cidambi, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, 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. In what has been a truly historic year for Dubai Duty Free, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to our Chairman His Highness 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.”
Dubai Duty Free’s 2025 results were supported by consistent performance across its core product categories. The top five selling categories for the year were perfumes, liquor, gold, tobacco, and confectionery.
Online sales reached Dhs 230.061 million, accounting for 2.65% of total sales. Departure sales totalled Dhs 7.864 billion, accounting for 90.60% of annual sales, while arrival sales reached Dhs 550.859 million, representing 6.35% of total yearly sales.
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%.
These achievements underscore Dubai Duty Free’s continued innovation and leadership in the travel retail sector.