Dubai Duty Free has announced record-breaking annual sales for the first time in its history, reaching 8.680 billion AED (2.378 billion USD) in 2025, reflecting a growth rate of 9.85% compared to 2024. This achievement marks one of the most successful years in the history of the duty-free market.
These impressive results follow a remarkable ten months of sales, culminating in December with outstanding performance that registered 922.77 million AED (252.81 million USD) — the highest monthly sales figure in 42 years of the duty-free retail sector.
This represented an increase of 12.27% compared to December 2024. The boost in sales during December was linked to a 25% discount promotion launched on December 20 in celebration of the market’s 42nd anniversary, leading to a significant spike in sales amounting to 69.097 million AED (19 million USD) within just 24 hours.
Throughout 2025, Dubai Duty Free achieved consistent milestones, with record sales in ten out of twelve months (excluding March and June). This reflects sustained consumer demand and the effectiveness of product presentation, marketing strategies, and operational excellence at Dubai International and Al Maktoum International Airports. These achievements underscore the leadership and innovative spirit of Dubai Duty Free in the travel retail sector.
Ramesh Kundum, the Executive Director of Dubai Duty Free, stated: “The exceptional financial performance in 2025 is a culmination of the high-quality shopping experience provided by the duty-free market, coupled with the resilience and commitment of our team in the face of challenges, alongside significant support from our suppliers and brand partners. This fruitful collaboration enhanced customer engagement and increased spending levels, allowing us to achieve sales of 8.680 billion AED (2.378 billion USD), with record figures in ten months out of twelve during the year.”
The growth rate of duty-free sales outpaced that of passenger traffic by approximately 5%, according to preliminary indicators, awaiting the official release of final passenger numbers for 2025 from Dubai Airports later this month.
This signifies the success of the market’s strategy to expand its customer base, improve conversion rates, and enhance the average transaction value.
Strong Product Performance
The remarkable sales results for the 2025 season were backed by robust and stable performance across its four main product categories. Perfumes, gold, tobacco, and confectionery maintained their leading positions among the top contributing products.
Perfume sales took the lead, generating 1.601 billion AED (438.668 million USD) and contributing 18.45% to total sales, followed by gold jewelry sales at 896.456 million AED (245.604 million USD), accounting for 10.33% of total revenue. Tobacco products ranked third with total sales of 883.595 million AED (242.081 million USD), representing 10.18% of overall income.
Confectionery claimed the fourth spot with total sales of 845.486 million AED (231.640 million USD), contributing 9.74% to annual sales, driven by outstanding performance from “Dubai Chocolate,” which saw sales of 719 tons across 13 brands, including two exclusive products for Dubai Duty Free: kunafa pistachio chocolate from Patchi and Habibi chocolate.
Dubai Duty Free’s online sales also reached 230.061 million AED (63.030 million USD), contributing 2.65% to total sales, with over 21 million transactions recorded, averaging 58,212 transactions per day, resulting in more than 56.796 million units sold.
Key Customer Regions
Duty-free sales in departure lounges amounted to 7.864 billion AED (2.155 billion USD), which accounts for 90.60% of total annual sales, while sales in arrival lounges reached 550.859 million AED (150.920 million USD), contributing 6.35% to the overall sales.
In December, major demand-generating markets witnessed growth, with Russia recording the highest increase of 25.7%. This was followed by Europe (including the UK) at 19.2%, Africa at 17.1%, the Middle East at 11.8%, the Far East at 8.6%, the Americas at 8.2%, and the Indian subcontinent at 5.1%.
In terms of sales growth at the primary airport lounges in December, Terminal A topped the rankings with an increase of 25.6%, followed by Terminal B at 22.3%, and Terminal 2 with a growth rate of 20.5%.
Throughout the year, Europe emerged as the leading region in performance, with a growth rate of 18.3%, followed by Africa at 14%, the Americas at 11.6%, the Middle East at 11.3%, and Russia at 9.9%. Both the Far East and the Indian subcontinent recorded growth rates of around 5%.
230.06 million AED in online sales
10 months of record sales throughout the year
Top-Selling Products:
1.601 billion AED in perfumes, 18.45%
896.45 million AED in gold jewelry, 10.33%
883.59 million AED in tobacco products, 10.18%
845.48 million AED in confectionery, 9.74%