Dubai Duty Free Hits Dhs724.7m Sales in May 2025

Post by : Bianca Suleiman

Photo: Dubai Government Media Office 

Dubai Duty Free had a great month in May 2025, with total sales reaching Dhs724.7 million (about US$198.5 million). This is the highest monthly sales so far in 2025 and is 12.5% more than what they earned in May 2024.

May 2025 is also now the second-best sales month ever for a non-December period. It comes just behind November 2024 and is now ranked ninth in the all-time top 10 sales months, even when including all Decembers.

Ramesh Cidambi, who is the Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, said, “May continued the strong growth of 2025. I’m very happy to see sales go up in many major product areas. By the end of May, our total revenue for 2025 has already passed Dhs3.5 billion (around US$1 billion), which means we’ve grown nearly 6.5% compared to last year. This success comes from the hard work and dedication of our amazing staff.”

The 12.5% growth in sales for May was faster than the growth in passenger numbers. Dubai Duty Free says sales grew 7–8% more than passenger traffic. Around 242,000 passengers traveled each day in May. On average, DDF made Dhs23.3 million (US$6.38 million) in sales every day. More travelers also bought items this year, with the buying rate increasing to 28%, up from 26.3% in May 2024. Each departing passenger spent about US$46.7, which is US$3 more than last year.

All major product categories saw a rise in sales in May:

• Confectionery (sweets and chocolates) went up by 81%, with sales of Dhs73.9 million (US$20.2 million), thanks to the popularity of “Dubai chocolate.”

• Perfume sales reached Dhs132.8 million (US$36.4 million), up almost 15% from last year.

• Cosmetics grew by 10.8%, making Dhs35.2 million (US$9.6 million).

• Cigarettes and Tobacco sales rose by 14.4% to Dhs77.6 million (US$21.3 million).

• Gold items sold Dhs70.7 million (US$19.4 million), which is 11.65% higher than last year.

• Precious Jewellery rose by 31.75%, bringing in Dhs20.2 million (US$5.5 million).

• Liquor sales went up nearly 4% to Dhs89.9 million (US$24.6 million).

• Electronics grew by 5.4%, with Dhs41.7 million (US$11.4 million) in sales.

• Fashion boutiques also did well with a 4.7% increase, earning Dhs71.3 million (US$19.5 million).

Altogether, these gains added more than Dhs80 million (US$22 million) in extra sales compared to May last year.

Looking at the different parts of the airport:

• Concourse B (Terminal 3) led with a 17.5% sales increase.

• Concourse D (Terminal 1) followed with a 10.7% rise.

• Concourse A grew by 7.8%.

• Concourse C went up just under 1%.

• Terminal 2 Departures had the biggest growth of 20.8% compared to last year.

• Arrivals shops in all terminals saw a 6.25% rise, helped by recent renovations and improvements.

Sales also grew from travelers coming from different world regions:

• Europe saw a 25.9% increase.

• Russia and nearby areas were up by 14%.

• Far East countries increased by 5.2%.

• Middle East travelers spent 14% more.

• Indian subcontinent sales rose by 4%, even though there were some travel delays recently.

Overall, May 2025 was a very successful month for Dubai Duty Free, showing strong growth in all areas.