Video : Colm McLoughlin , 40 years at Dubai Duty Free
Ireland – the formative years Colm ’ s duty-free journey began in Ireland in 1969 , at Shannon Duty Free , the birthplace of the industry – where , in the seventies , Shannon Airport served as a major gateway and refuelling stop between Europe and the US .
Rising in the travel retail ranks to Shannon Duty Free General Manager , the Irish businessman was headhunted in 1983 as part of a 10-member team by the Dubai Government to launch a world-class dutyfree operation .
Arriving in Dubai in July 1983 , a day before his 40th birthday , Colm and his colleagues got straight to work , and within six months had DDF up-and-running – taking US $ 44,000 in sales on the very first day , and US $ 20 million in the first full year .
LIKE FATHER , LIKE SON
Leadership genes run in the McLoughlin family , with Colm ’ s own son Niall , 55 , serving as a Senior Vice President in one of the UAE ’ s leading companies , property developer DAMAC
Asked to stay on as General Manager , what began as a six-month contract for Colm has since turned into an extraordinary 40-year journey – one that has delivered remarkable success for Colm , for Dubai Duty Free , and for the city of Dubai .
The rise of Dubai Duty Free As well as setting the regional benchmark for airport retailing , under Colm ’ s leadership , DDF has landed numerous industry firsts , and secured in-excess of 750 awards – bagging the Airport Duty Operator of the Year Award within its first two years of operation , and more recently landing the Frontier Award for ‘ Airport Retailer of the Year ’ for a record tenth time .
The multi-billion-dollar business has continued to rack up record sales too . From US $ 32 million in 1986 , turnover climbed to US $ 95m in 1990 – breaking its own revenue records multiple times during the nineties – before rising to US $ 380m in 2003 .
By 2011 , the business had retained its status as the world ’ s largest duty-free three times in a row – a record that held until the end of the decade .
26 November 2023