Perfume once again led the way, DDF raking in $180 million in sales last year - a healthy 16% upturn over 2009.
Liquor and Gold retained the No.2 and No.3 positions with increases of 13% and 11% respectively. Other big category increases were seen in Watches, which rose by 26% and Cosmetics, which were up by 23%, while sales of Cameras rose by 19%.
Increases were seen across all DDF retail areas, with Terminal 3 sales increasing by 20% overall, including an 11% increase in T3 Arrivals sales.
Terminal 2 sales rose by an impressive 24%, where a revamp of the retail operation in T2 is planned for 2011.
"It has been an excellent year for Dubai Duty Free which has retained its position as the largest single airport retailer in the world," enthuses HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of DDF.
"The sales over the past 12 months are a positive indicator for the retail sector as a whole and I congratulate Dubai Duty Free's management and staff on their success."
December saw a new monthly sales record with turnover reaching $136 million, which is 13% higher than the monthly record set in December 2009.
Meanwhile on December 20th, when Dubai Duty Free celebrated its 27th anniversary, sales reached an impressive $18.5 million.
DDF's managing director, Colm McLoughlin, managing director, enthused: "We are thrilled to have posted such a positive year in 2010.
"Our sales have been consistently buoyant throughout the year and we are pleased to see that our penetration level continues to be high and that we sell to around 45% of all passengers, while the average spend per departing customer is around $46."
Looking ahead to further development plans for Dubai Duty Free, 2011 will see the opening of the retail operation at Al Maktoum International Airport while plans continue for the opening of the retail operation in Concourse 3 at Dubai International Airport, which is scheduled to open in 2012.
