Dubai Responsibility Free information 40% leap in annual income as passenger site visitors recovers

Dubai Responsibility Free recorded Dh3.56 billion ($970 million) in annual gross sales in 2021, a 40 per cent improve on the earlier 12 months, as passenger site visitors by means of the world’s busiest worldwide airport started to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.

The airport retailer recorded greater than 9 million transactions through the 12 months, ringing up a median of 25,000 transactions a day, and offered 26 million items of merchandise, Dubai Responsibility Free mentioned on Tuesday.

“General, it has been an excellent 12 months for the operation regardless of the challenges of the pandemic,” Colm McLoughlin, government vice chairman and chief government of Dubai Responsibility Free, mentioned.

The leap in annual airport retail gross sales got here as passenger site visitors by means of Dubai Worldwide Airport began a gradual restoration through the 12 months from the consequences of the pandemic.

The emirate’s airport operator raised its forecast for annual passenger site visitors for 2021 by two million, anticipating that traveller numbers on the airport will attain 28.7 million. Dubai Airports is projecting 57 million annual passengers for 2022.

After the reopening of the ultimate part of Concourse A at Terminal 3, Dubai Worldwide Airport is working at full capability after 20 months of decreased operations due to the pandemic. Dubai World Central, the emirate’s second airport, will reopen its passenger terminal in Could.

The highest 5 merchandise offered through the 12 months have been perfumes, liquor, cigarettes and tobacco, gold, and electronics, in accordance with the airport retailer.

Fragrance gross sales on the airport reached Dh698m and accounted for 19.59 per cent of the full annual gross sales. Liquor gross sales amounted to Dh617m or 17 per cent of whole annual income.

The airport retailer earned Dh348m from cigarettes and tobacco gross sales, which contributed 10 per cent to whole income. Gold purchases totalled Dh290m, or 8 per cent of all gross sales, whereas electronics earned Dh278m and accounted for 7.8 per cent of annual gross sales.

On-line gross sales represented 5 per cent of the general tally for 2021, reaching Dh177m.

In the meantime, gross sales within the departures space throughout the operation reached Dh2.9bn, making up 84 per cent of whole gross sales, whereas gross sales within the arrivals space reached Dh373m or 10 per cent of annual gross sales.

“We now have continued to develop our retail provide in all of the terminals and that included the opening of a Christian Dior boutique in Concourse A and B and a Louis Vuitton store in Concourse B,” Mr McLoughlin mentioned.

“We at the moment are trying ahead to the opening of a Cartier boutique in Concourse B and the reopening of the Chanel boutique in Concourse A within the first quarter of this 12 months.”

In November, Dubai Responsibility Free mentioned it would rehire about 700 staff who have been laid off through the pandemic as passenger numbers choose up at airports within the emirate.

Common spending per passenger was “rising by means of the roof” Dubai Worldwide Airport, though the volumes had but to totally get well absolutely to pre-pandemic ranges, Paul Griffiths, chief government of operator Dubai Airports, advised The Nationwide on the Dubai Airshow in November 2021.

“It’s vastly higher than it was even pre-Covid. The long run would be the full disaggregation of the purpose of sale from the purpose of supply,” Mr Griffiths mentioned.

In future, passengers will likely be given the choice to order obligation free items in-flight and select the place to have them delivered.

“There are a lot of digital processes the place we imagine we are going to merge the completely different gross sales channels and the completely different supply channels and provides folks the selection to order in-flight,” he mentioned.

“Quite than have 24 minutes, which is the typical that you’ve got to affect folks to purchase stuff when they’re within the airport, why not use on a regular basis they’ve earlier than they fly and when they’re within the air to flick through an infinite catalogue and select the place they need their items delivered. That, certainly, is the last word retail alternative.”

Up to date: January 05, 2022, 4:10 AM