Dubai: Dubai Duty Free today announced a record half-year sales performance, posting a 5.34 percent year-on-year increase with turnover reaching AED4.118 billion (US$1.128 billion) for the first six months of 2025. This figure surpasses last year’s previous record turnover for the first half of the year by AED208.95 million (US$57.24 million).
According to Emirates News Agency, the airport retailer recorded robust growth in April, May, and the first half of June. Sales were buoyed by a surge in travel over the Eid holiday and the early summer travel season. Dubai Duty Free Managing Director, Ramesh Cidambi, expressed satisfaction with the performance, stating, “We are very pleased with our record performance for the first half of 2025. Whilst we await the final passenger numbers for June 2025, the spend per passenger is likely to be better than last year June. This performance is a testament to our team’s hard work and the strength of Dubai as a global travel hub.”
The company remains optimistic for the second half of the year, with preparations underway for a busy summer and the traditionally busy last quarter. “We are looking forward to an equally busy second half of the year. Plans are very much in place for the opening of three luxury boutiques in Terminal 3 Concourse A, including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Cartier,” Cidambi added.
Perfumes, liquor, cigarettes and tobacco, gold, and confectionery retained the top five category positions. Perfume sales reached AED744.24 million (US$203.90 million), contributing 18 percent of total revenue and showing an increase of 5 percent over the same period last year. Liquor followed with sales of AED513.37 million (US$140.65 million), while cigarettes and tobacco saw a 12.24 percent increase year-on-year with sales of AED439.91 million (US$120.52 million).
Gold sales amounted to AED416.90 million (US$114.22 million), contributing 10.12 percent of total revenue and an increase of 6.14 percent. Confectionery, in particular, continued to demonstrate strong growth, achieving AED412.52 million (US$113.02 million), marking a 62.70 percent increase over the same period last year and accounting for 10 percent of total revenue.
Another notable increase was seen in cosmetics, which rose by 3.36 percent to AED201.51 million (US$55.21 million), contributing 4.89 percent of total revenue. Spending trends across terminals continued to increase, with duty-free sales in Terminal 3 increasing by 6.37 percent for the first half of the year, while Terminal 1 rose by 5.25 percent.
All key passenger regions showed positive sales during the first half of the year, with Europe up 16.89 percent, the Russian region up 4.41 percent, the Indian sub-continent up 1.02 percent, and the Middle East up 8.15 percent.