Dubai Duty Free Sales Soar to Dhs724.7M in May 2025

Photo: Dubai Goverment Media Office

Dubai Duty Free Sales Reach Dhs724.7 Million in May 2025 – Highest of the Year So Far

Dubai Duty Free had a fantastic month in May 2025, reporting huge sales of Dhs724.7 million (about US$198.5 million). This is a 12.5% increase compared to May 2024 and marks the highest monthly sales for this year.

May 2025 is also the second-best month ever for Dubai Duty Free outside of December. It is only behind November 2024 and is now among the top 10 highest-selling months of all time when including December records.

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Ramesh Cidambi, the Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, said, “May has continued the strong success we’ve seen in 2025. I’m especially happy because the increase came across many big product categories. As of May 31st, we have crossed Dhs3.5 billion (around US$1 billion) in total revenue for this year, which is almost a 6.5% growth compared to last year. This success is thanks to the hard work and dedication of all our staff.”

More Sales Than Expected
Even though Dubai’s airport saw about 242,000 travelers each day, sales grew faster than the number of passengers. Daily sales were Dhs23.3 million (or US$6.38 million). More people made purchases (28% of travelers bought something, compared to 26.3% last May), and each person spent more — an average of US$46.7, which is US$3 more than last year.

Product Categories That Performed Well
May saw strong sales across almost all product types:

• Confectionery (sweets): up 81%, with Dhs73.9 million (US$20.2 million), led by the success of “Dubai chocolate”
• Perfumes: reached Dhs132.8 million (US$36.4 million), a 15% increase
• Cosmetics: up 10.8% with Dhs35.2 million (US$9.6 million)
• Cigarettes and Tobacco: up 14.4%, bringing in Dhs77.6 million (US$21.3 million)
• Gold: sales up 11.65%, earning Dhs70.7 million (US$19.4 million)
• Precious Jewellery: up 31.75%, with Dhs20.2 million (US$5.5 million)
• Liquor: rose nearly 4% to Dhs89.9 million (US$24.6 million)
• Electronics: up 5.4%, with sales of Dhs41.7 million (US$11.4 million)
• Fashion: up 4.7%, totaling Dhs71.3 million (US$19.5 million)

These increases added over Dhs80 million (around US$22 million) more sales than in May last year.

Airport Terminals Growth
Sales increased across different areas of the airport:

• Concourse B (Terminal 3): up 17.5%
• Concourse D (Terminal 1): up 10.7%
• Concourse A: rose 7.8%
• Concourse C: just under 1%
• Terminal 2 Departures: had the highest jump with 20.8%
• Arrival Shops (all Terminals): grew by 6.25% after recent renovations

Where the Passengers Came From
Every region saw more shopping:

• Europe: up 25.9%
• Russia: up 14%
• Far East: up 5.2%
• Middle East: up 14%
• Indian Subcontinent: up 4%, even with some travel delays

In summary, May 2025 was an amazing month for Dubai Duty Free. Thanks to new products like Dubai chocolate, great staff effort, and strong traveler spending, sales reached new highs and set the stage for continued success in the rest of the year.