A record number of travellers passing through the capital’s airport powered sales to an all-time high at Abu Dhabi Duty Free last year.
Sales rose 10.3 per cent in 2015 to Dh1.5 billion, with 23 million passengers using the airport, thanks to the concurrent growth of Etihad Airways.
The airline was responsible for nearly three quarters of traffic through Abu Dhabi last year, as the hub model of transferring passengers from point A to B via Abu Dhabi is proved successful.
For the retail category, growth was up 7 per cent year on year to Dh1.07bn.
Meanwhile, food and beverages sales grew by almost 26 per cent. The services sector rose by 15.2 per cent. Advertising, a component of the services sector, showed 26.8 per cent growth.
Sales of perfumes, cosmetics, food and confectionery dominated growth at Abu Dhabi Duty Free.
Sales of luxury watches increased by 185.1 per cent, while sales of sunglasses grew by 13 per cent, books and magazines had a 9.6 per cent rise, and food and confectionery increased by 7.3 per cent, figures showed.
Abu Dhabi Duty Free is preparing for the opening of Midfield Terminal by the end of next year. It said that it would award all commercial contracts for the new terminal this year.
The Midfield Terminal project, which began in September 2012, is part of Abu Dhabi’s broader plans to increase tourist traffic under the capital’s 2030 strategy to diversify the economy. By the end of 2015, about 70 per cent of the Midfield Terminal was already completed.
selgazzar@thenational.ae
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Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES
September 30
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
