Page 30 - #189 March 2024

A Global Leader

Founded on 20 December 1983, Dubai Duty Free has recently celebrated its forty year
anniversary and in that time it has grown into one of the largest single travel operators
in the world. Here, we sit down with Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and
CEO of the company to discuss its continuing success and how the business plans to
maintain growth moving forward.

Gucci in Concourse A
Dubai International Airport, Dubai, UAE

ubai Duty Free is the company responsible for duty-free will feature a modern design and the introduction of new concepts such
Doperations at Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum as the liquor sampling area and self-checkout counters.
International Airport and is run by Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Following this, in the middle of 2024, the company will turn its attention
Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free, who was previously one of the to the refurbishment of the three Arrivals shops in Dubai International
ten-man team from Aer Rianta, the Irish Airport Authority which was Airport and this project is expected to be finished by the end of the year.
behind the world’s first duty-free airport at Shannon Airport. “Concourse A, consisting of two perfumes and cosmetics shops,
Today the business operates nearly 40,000sq m of retail spaces across including fashion is also set to be refurbished and this will begin in the
the two airports. At Dubai International Airport for example, they have second quarter of this year and will be finished in early to mid-2025
shops in Concourses A, B, C and D, Terminal 1 and 3 Arrivals as well as with three new boutiques of major brands. Meanwhile the watches and
Terminal 2 Departures and Arrivals. electronics shops in Concourse B are also lined up for refurbishment
“The shops within these concourses were built according to specific next year,” McLoughlin explains.
categories, like perfume and cosmetics shops, food plus shops, liquor As we move on to discuss the products on offer across their spaces
shops and so on. In recent years we have introduced more high-end and how they maintain their popularity in the market, Colm comments
luxury shops such as Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, which are all run that passenger profiles and industry trends are vital in product selection
by ourselves and manned by our staff, although they are very distinctively and activation. He continues by saying that each and every profile has a
branded as a boutique,” McLoughlin highlights. different preference when it comes to brand and product, so they try
In terms of recent openings, in the last quarter of 2023, DDF completed their best to be relevant at any time. In addition, identifying future trends
the first phase of refurbishment at their liquor and tobacco shops in allows them to plan ahead and identifying possible threats allow them to
Concourse B of Dubai International Airport. Around 700sq m of retail mitigate any negative effects on the business, if there are any.
space in both the East and West locations of Concourse B was refurbished The company also recognises the importance of brand experience,
with an upgraded look and another 700sq m of the liquor shop is due to partnering with brands to produce activations in the shop, be this in-
finished between this month and next. The upcoming liquor shops space store or in promo areas. They also have brand ambassadors and experts

Chanel in Concourse A Chanel in Concourse A
Dubai International Airport, Dubai, UAE Dubai International Airport, Dubai, UAE