DDF signs MOU’s with CTRIP and UnionPay International during Dubai Week in China

Dubai Duty Free (DDF) joined a number of Dubai’s leading entities for the “Dubai Week in China: Shanghai” (27^th-29^th October), a Falcon and Associates initiative supported by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce (SMCC), at The Langham Hotel and The House in the bustling Xintiandi district.

 Aimed at celebrating the thriving bilateral relationship that exists between Dubai and China, the event creates connections for future mutual growth among government officials, business and thought leaders, entrepreneurs and investors. 

As part of its participation in Dubai Week in China (DWiC), Dubai Duty Free has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CTRIP, the No.1 Chinese online travel agency with 141 million active members. As an incentive, CTRIP members flying to Dubai International Airport can avail a 7% discount (terms and conditions apply) while shopping at Dubai Duty Free beginning from 1st January until 30th June 2017.

 In addition, Dubai Duty Free has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with UnionPay International, which is already a long-time DDF partner, for future marketing tie ups. UnionPay has expanded its acceptance footprint in 160 countries and regions, and to-date the total number of UnionPay cards issued worldwide has exceeded 2.3 billion.   

 The agreement reflects the importance of the Chinese traveler to Dubai Duty Free, who, while accounting for 4% of traffic at Dubai International Airport, account for an impressive 12% of sales in 2015.

Commenting on the signing of the MOUs, Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman & CEO of Dubai Duty Free said, “Both the number of Chinese travelers flying through Dubai International and those shopping at Dubai Duty Free has increased substantially in recent times and we believe that by teaming up with CTRIP and UnionPay we can interact directly with travelers before they fly and help them make informed purchasing decisions at Dubai Duty Free. In line with this, our e-commerce website is available in Mandarin for the first time this week, thereby providing Chinese travelers with an insight into a range of our products available online.”

 As a Partner of Support of DWiC, Dubai Duty Free’s Salah Tahlak, Executive Vice President – Corporate Services and Nic Bruwer, Executive Vice President– Commercial, are attending the event where they are participating in the official programme in addition to DDF-specific meetings.  

 As one of the Panel Members on the first day, Salah Tahlak has shared his insights during the session, Discussion on Unlocking Economic Growth Through Cross-Cultural Understanding and Connectivity. 

Commenting on Dubai Duty Free’s participation, Salah said: “This is the second time that we have joined up with Falcon and other Dubai entities at DWiC. The Chinese market is very important to our business and we believe that the programme this year provides us with some excellent opportunities to meet with new and existing partners and to help drive business between the two.”

 Also during the DWiC, the retail operation will meet with its recruitment partners to discuss future recruitment plans for Dubai Duty Free which currently employ 591 Chinese nationals, representing almost 10% of its total workforce.

 “We recognised the importance of the Chinese traveler very early on and began recruitment from China in 2006,” says Nic Bruwer. “Since then we have recruited a total of 1,380 Chinese nationals, and have been very happy with their work ethic and commitment. We have an internal promotion policy and as a result we have several Chinese now working as Supervisors, Dedicated Beauty Advisors, Dedicated Merchandisers and back office support staff. We are looking at recruiting a further 100 Chinese nationals in 2017 and are meeting with our recruitment partners whilst here in Shanghai.”

 Dubai Duty Free currently operates over 35,000 square metres of retail space at Dubai International Airport (DIA) and Al Maktoum International (AMIA) at Dubai South. Employing close to 6,000 staff from 46 countries, the operation is continually reviewing and upgrading its retail offer to appeal to its diverse passenger mix.