Dubai Duty Free said it achieved an all-time high monthly sale for December 2025, leading to its highest-ever annual sales in 42 years of existence.
In 2025, it clocked sales of AED8.68 billion (US$2.38 billion), representing a 9.85 per cent increase over 2024. The 2025 performance was driven by 10 record-breaking months (January, February, April, May, July, August, September, October, November and December), but Dubai Duty Free saved the best for the last.
All-time high sales in December
December is usually a good month for Dubai Duty Free, with higher airport traffic as both inbound and outbound numbers increase during the Holiday period. In 2025 December, sales reached AED922.77 million (US$252.8 million), the highest ever monthly sales, and a 12.27 per cent increase over December 2024.
December sales are also fuelled by Dubai Duty Free’s anniversary celebrations, and it offered a 25 per cent discount on 20th December. It resulted in a shopping spree and a single-day sales of AED69.097 million (US$19 million) in the 24 hours.
Dubai Duty Free said that the growth of its sales exceeded the growth of passenger traffic by an estimated 5 per cent. Dubai Airport is expected to release its final passenger numbers for 2025 later this month. It highlights the effectiveness of Dubai Duty Free’s strategy designed to increase penetration, improve conversion and overall transaction value.
The operation recorded over 21 million sales transactions during the year – an average of 58,212 sales transactions per day – with a total of 56.796 million units of merchandise sold.
Ramesh Cidambi, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, commented: “It has been a truly historic year for Dubai Duty Free. Our 2025 performance is due to the focus, resilience and dedication of the team under difficult conditions, combined with great support from our suppliers and brand partners. They have worked together to increase customer engagement and spend and helped deliver AED8.68 billion in sales while breaking records in 10 out of 12 months this year.”
Perfumes are the best sellers
In 2025, the top five selling categories for the year were Perfumes, Liquor, Gold, Tobacco and Confectionery.
Customers bought AED1.601 billion (US$438.67 million) worth of Perfumes, accounting for 18.45 per cent of Dubai Duty Free’s total sales.
Liquor followed with sales of AED1.061 billion (US$290.6 million), representing 12.22 per cent of total annual sales, with Gold recorded sales of AED896.45 million (US$245.6 million) and contributing 10.33 per cent towards total revenue.
Tobacco was in fourth place with sales of AED883.595 million (US$242 million) and 10.18 per cent of total revenue, followed by confectionery (AED845.49 million/US$231.64 million sales) and 9.74 per cent of total annual sales.
Confectionery performance was driven by ‘Dubai chocolate’, which sold 719 tons across 13 brands, including two Dubai Duty Free exclusives: Patchi Pistachio Kunafa Bar and Habibe Chocolate.
Departures accounted for AED7.86 billion (US$2.15 billion) of total sales (90.6 per cent), while Arrivals sales reached AED550.859 million (US$150.92 million), or 6.35 per cent of total annual sales. Online sales touched AED230 million (US$63 million), accounting for 2.65 per cent of total sales.
For the full year, among the major regions, Europe was the top performer with growth of 18.3 per cent, followed by Africa (up 14 per cent), the Americas (up 11.6 per cent), the Middle East (11.3 per cent), Russia (up 9.9 per cent) and both the Far East and the Indian sub-continent at around 5 per cent.
Exclusive product launches, including travel retail only and limited-edition collections, combined with a calendar of unique promotions and signature campaigns, enhanced customer engagement and loyalty. Dubai Duty Free estimates that exclusive products contributed approximately 12 per cent of total sales in the major categories.
