Background
Abu Dhabi Duty Free opened it's doors in 1984 and has grown from strength to strength ever since to become one of the worlds finest Duty Free complexes in the world, winning several prestigious awards along the way.
Only a year after opening ADDF received a Frontier Marketing Award,considered to be an Oscar of the Industry,at Cannes,for best new Duty Free.This was only the beginning of great achievements to come.
Design Abu Dhabi Duty Free is not only well-known for outstanding marketing concepts, top quality stores and superior service but also for the unique design of the building itself. The interior has a state of the art futuristic satellite in the form of a mushroom rising up from the floor to the ceiling in changing colours of blue and green making it seem as though the floor, ceiling and walls are made from the same material. The unique design is an attraction in itself.
As one looks from the centre of the dome to the perimeters, the colour changes gradually from green outlined in blue, to blue shapes outlined in green. The nearer you are to the outside, the bluer the décor is. This colour scheme reflects the greenery of Abu Dhabi next to the blue of the sea.
Through the years AADF has witness refurbishments, renovations and extensions taking the retail area from only six shops in 1994 to a retail area of over 5000 square meters.
Brilliantly researched and designed, Abu Dhabi Duty Free pioneered the shop-in-shop concept with branded corners for various prestigious international brands displaying their corporate identities. The range of the various retail outlets available is vast, with emphasis on branded goods. Several top brand names in fashion, fragrance, cosmetics, confectionery and more create a lavish look and feel to the retail area.
Other popular goods include gold and electronic items, local antiques and souvenirs. Small purchases are equally well covered - books or necessities like pharmaceuticals and toiletries are all displayed in a spectacular setting.
New terminals
Abu Dhabi International recently increased its retail area by 1350 meters, month, with the opening of two new terminals. These terminals have been opened to accommodate the ever increasing number of passengers moving through this facility as an interin solution while major expansion plans move forward..
A terminal known as the Gulf Traveller Terminal, dedicated to Gulf Air All Economy travellers only, was opened opposite and below Terminal 1 (which is currently the main airport terminal). A second terminal, known as Terminal 2, was opened 900 meters away from Terminal 1 to cater for 15 airlines.A third terminal, which will be known as the Etihad Terminal will open in the first half of 2006.
Sales increase
The first nine months of the year have been very successful at Abu Dhabi Duty Free with the sales showing an increase of 8.5% in total revenue in comparison to the same period last year. The biggest categories contributing to the sales were Liquor and Tobacco with 20.75%, Confectionery with 18.52% and Beauty & Fragrance with 14.86%.
The star performers so far this year have been Beauty & Fragrance with a sales increase of 21.15 %, Liquor & Tobacco 11.6% , the Destination Shop 65.6%, World of Cigars 33.5%, Gold 6.78% and Swarovski 54%.
These results are a reflection of the change of passenger profile in Terminal 1 as Etihad Airways, the National Carrier of the UAE, increases its destinations in Europe. In terms of European profile Etihad Airways has flights to Munich, Frankfort, Geneva and London which has seen Swiss, German and British passengers taking a higher share of business in Duty Free. Flights to Canada, Brussels and Johannesburg later this year will add to this trend.
August statistics show that GCC Airlines contributed the most customers who provided 66.5 percent of the sales by spending an average of AED182 per person. Etihad Airways made an impact by contributing 26.3% to this figure, an increase of 138.1% over last years figure.
Sub-continent Airlines contributed 11.8 percent with an average of AED170 per person and European Airlines contributed 7.6 percent with an average of AED198 per person.
Abu Dhabi Duty Free Retail Contacts:
Dan Cappell (Deputy Managing Director)
Richard Issac (Retail Operations Manager)
Karen Fairman (Sales Manager)
TEL: 02 505 2538 / 9 / 40
FAX: 02 575 7261
EMAIL ADDRESS: addfs@emirates.net.ae
WEBSITE ADDRESS: www.addf.ae
