Dubai Duty Free Achieves Record Sales in September 2025
Dubai Duty Free is celebrating a remarkable achievement as it enters the final quarter of 2025, having recorded its highest-ever sales for September. The total sales reached AED 671.79 million (approximately $184 million), marking a significant milestone for the retailer.
A New Record Set
This impressive figure not only surpasses the previous September record of AED 600 million ($165 million) set in 2024 but also reflects an increase of AED 71.29 million ($19.53 million), translating to a year-on-year growth of 11.87%. September now stands among the retailer’s top ten sales months, joining other record-setting months from this year, including January, February, April, May, July, and August.
Passenger Traffic and Sales Performance
In September, passenger traffic at Dubai Airports grew by about 4.2%. Notably, sales outpaced this growth by approximately 7.6%, indicating a strong performance relative to the number of travelers. Final passenger numbers for September are anticipated to be released later this month.
Ramesh Cidambi, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, expressed pride in the record sales, attributing this success to the dedication of the team and the loyalty of customers. He emphasized that achieving AED 672 million in a single month, alongside surpassing passenger growth, underscores the strength of their retail offerings. The commitment to enhancing customer experience remains a top priority.
Year-to-Date Sales Growth
For the year so far, Dubai Duty Free has reported a sales increase of 7.45%, totaling AED 6.075 billion ($1.664 billion). This represents an increase of AED 421 million ($115 million) compared to the same period in 2024.
Key Growth Categories
Several product categories saw significant growth in September:
- Confectionery: Up 57.7%
- Fashion Boutiques: Up 21.5%
- Tobacco: Up 6.9%
- Perfumes: Up 5%
- Gold: Up 21.9%
- Electronics: Up 10%
- Millennium Millionaire: Up 20.5%
- Finest Surprise: Up 32.9%
- Watches: Up 5.1%
- Liquor: Up 2.3%
- Precious Jewellery: Up 3.8%
Notably, Dubai Chocolate alone accounted for AED 27 million ($7.4 million) in sales, with 350,000 pieces sold throughout the month. Across the top ten categories, sales grew by 12.1%, and by 8.2% when excluding confectionery.
Luxury Fashion and Electronics Surge
High-end fashion emerged as a standout category in September. The newly opened Louis Vuitton boutique in Terminal 3, Concourse A, which launched on September 4, contributed a remarkable 36% of fashion revenues in that concourse. The luxury trend continued with the opening of a Cartier boutique in Concourse A on September 25, catering to the increasing demand from international travelers.
Electronics sales also saw a boost, rising by 10%. This surge was largely driven by the launch of the Apple iPhone 17 on September 19, which generated AED 9.7 million ($2.7 million) in sales within just 12 days, despite limited availability.
Gold Sales and Pre-Loved Luxury Growth
Gold sales experienced a significant increase of 21.9% year-on-year, fueled by strong consumer demand and rising global prices. The price of gold rose from approximately $2,700 per ounce in September 2024 to around $3,700 per ounce in September 2025.
Additionally, Dubai Duty Free’s pre-loved luxury boutique, REKLAIM, reported steady growth, generating AED 3.5 million ($1 million) in sales during September. Among notable transactions was the sale of a Patek Philippe watch for AED 253,386 ($69,420) in Concourse D.
Regional Sales Performance
Sales growth was observed across all major regions:
- Africa: Up 14.85%
- Europe: Up 17.85%
- Indian Subcontinent: Up 12.75%
- Americas: Up 16.1%
- Russian Region: Up 7%
- Middle East: Up 4.3% (despite a 3.8% decline in Saudi Arabia)
- Far East: Up 12.3% (with China up 11.3%)
- Australasia: Up 12.6%
This broad-based growth highlights the robust performance of Dubai Duty Free as it continues to thrive in a competitive retail environment.
