Dubai Duty Free (DDF) marked its 33rd anniversary with a special 25 per cent discount on a wide range of merchandise over three days which began at midnight on December 18.

Total sales for the three days topped Dh161.817 million ($44.33 million), said a DDF statement.

The decision to extend the annual celebration beyond the usual one day was due to the high passenger traffic expected over the pre-Christmas holiday, it said.

The anniversary discount for 72 hours resulted in a spending spree at Dubai International and at Al Maktoum International with sales figures on December 18 reaching Dh35.29 million ($9.67 million) and Dh32.88 million ($9.01 million) on December 19. On the anniversary day itself – December 20 -- Dubai Duty Free daily sales reached Dh93.64 million ($25.6 million) in the 24-hour period.    

From a category point of view, perfume was the highest selling category with sales of Dh25.30 million ($6.93 million), followed by watches and cosmetics on December 20.

Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free, said: “The anniversary celebrations spread over three days were fantastic and received positive results across all the concourses. Extending a 25 per cent discount to our customers is our way of saying thank you for their support through the year.”

Over the three-day period, the cash registers recorded a total of 293,903 sales transactions with nearly 102,493 sales transactions alone on December 20.

The Dubai Duty Free anniversary promotion is now a highly-anticipated event with many travellers choosing to travel on the days when the 25 per cent discount is offered. Dubai Duty Free introduced a discount offer across a wide range of merchandise to mark its 20th Anniversary in 2003, it said.
The 33rd anniversary also saw a series of celebrations in various locations over three days led by McLoughlin; Ramesh Cidambi, chief operating officer; and other members of the senior management team who conducted the Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise draws.

A 36-year–old Pakistani national Saad Khan, a real estate sales executive from Sharjah, won $1 million in Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire Promotion.

Prajwal Raj Paudel from Nepal won a Ducati Monster 821 Star White Silk in the Finest Surprise Promotion.

Dubai Duty Free’s employees also enjoyed a special Staff Surprise draw which resulted in a total of over $23,000 being won by employees. Dubai Duty Free currently employs 5,900 staff and of the original 100 staff who joined in December 1983, 30 remain in active service. – TradeArabia News Service