Qatar Duty Free has announced record-high revenues for its latest financial year, with sales jumping by more than 59 per cent compared to 2021-2022.
The auspicious performance between April 2022 and March 2023 results from an over 49 per cent year-on-year uplift in sales per passenger.
The airport retailer’s vice president, Thabet Musleh, said: “This was a fantastic year for Qatar Duty Free, our home Hamad International Airport and the Qatar Airways Group.
“We are honoured to have played a significant role in the Fifa World Cup tournament, the tremendous airport expansion project and many other significant events in the country. Our goal was to offer an unforgettable and seamless travel experience to all the passengers, and we successfully achieved that goal. I would like to thank all members of the QDF community for their unprecedented and continuous support.
“Our financial results represent our tremendous success, and we look forward to showcasing many more triumphs and achievements in 2023.”
Qatar Duty Free also boasted a robust 26 per cent turnover growth in the 2022 calendar year compared to 2019.
Heavy investment in new stores, concepts and services, underpinned by strong passenger numbers, drove a record-breaking year for Qatar Duty Free, according to the retailer.
According to Hamad International Airport’s annual traffic report, 35.7 million passengers were served last year, achieving more than double year-on-year growth and an increase of more than 92.1 per cent against the 2019 level.
Traffic was further bolstered by a series of high-profile events last year, including the unveiling of the airport expansion project Phase A and the Fifa World Cup 2022.
Reflecting the impact of the World Cup on Duty Free sales, November and December 2022 turnover soared by over 112 per cent compared to the same period in 2021.
Moreover, the sales were strengthened by offering one of the largest collections of Fifa World Cup merchandise sold throughout the eight stadiums in Doha, in the official Fifa Fan Zone.
At the end of the tournament, Qatar Duty Free was estimated to have achieved approximately 459,000 transactions at the Fifa stores, with 1,4 million total units sold during and after the tournament.
