Abu Dhabi International Airport’s Duty Free has announced a significant year-on-year revenue return of 12.7 per cent for 2009, against a 7.5 per cent growth in passenger numbers, with average passenger spend up 5.5 per cent.

With revenue passing Dh500 million ($136 million) for the year for the first time, Huraiz Almur Bin Huraiz, chief commercial officer for Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac), said, “We are pleased to have achieved yet another significant milestone in revenue and attribute this success largely on the launch of Abu Dhabi International’s new Terminal 3 facility earlier this year.”

“In addition to the unique luxury boutique environment that the new T3 offers, we have also reaped the rewards of the seamless transition we started in 2008 from being a largely in-house operator of duty free services to that of one adopting an international, best-in-class partnership approach, such as the partnership with DFS – the world’s leading luxury travel retailer and majority concessionaire at Abu Dhabi International Airport.”

As part of the LVMH (Moet-Hennessy-Louis-Vuitton) Group, DFS’s arrival in Abu Dhabi has meant that a number of exclusive luxury brands such Hermes, Jimmy Choo, Loewe, Fendi and Chloe, are now available at Abu Dhabi Airport, showcasing limited edition merchandise and other special events.

The team has built a close working relationship with all of the concessionaires across all aspects of operations, to deliver a top quality shopping experience for customers, offering events such as the Jimmy Choo Project PEP launch, Givenchy Le Secret exclusive and the F1 activities with Tag Heuer, Diageo and several other events.

“We are delighted with the strength of growth displayed by Adac’s retail division, and recognise the importance of a positive passenger experience whether transiting in Abu Dhabi International Airport, starting or concluding their journey with us,” said Bin Huraiz.

“In 2010, we are planning to bring together a raft of services from Retail and F&B under one easily recognisable brand, which will allow us to build powerful customer focused programmes.”

The company has committed to further growth in 2010, budgeting 18 per cent growth in turnover based on an estimated 12 per cent growth in passenger figures. Building on the success of 2009, the retail division will be launching further high profile fashion and music events within the airport, as well as focusing its attention on giving back to the community through a dedicated corporate responsibility program.

In related news, results from ACI ASQ rankings for Q3 2009 have shown that independent passenger surveys reveal Abu Dhabi is regarded by passengers as the top airport – worldwide – offering value for money from its shopping facilities. Judged against other global airports in the 5-15m capacity category, Abu Dhabi International Airport was also chosen as the best airport for the availability of passenger financial services, and came third in the overall shopping facilities category.-TradeArabia News Service