Dubai Duty Free boss Colm McLoughlin to address Virtual Travel Retail Expo

INTERNATIONAL. Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman & CEO Colm McLoughlin has joined a powerful line-up of speakers at the Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo in October.

McLoughlin will take part in a one-to-one interview with The Moodie Davitt Report Founder and Chairman Martin Moodie. He will address this unique year in Dubai Duty Free’s glittering 37-year history, the retailer’s response to crisis and its insights as it helps to drive industry recovery.

“Colm McLoughlin is travel retail’s modern-day statesman, a man held in immense esteem throughout our industry worldwide,” Moodie said.

“We’re delighted he is joining the most powerful speakers’ line-up that we have ever put together. Dubai Duty Free has been tested as never before in this unique year and as an industry leader its lessons from crisis and thoughts on how to revive the travel retail channel will be of great interest to all Expo visitors.”

McLoughlin has played an integral part in Dubai Duty Free’s success and rise to prominence since humble beginnings in 1983 to become the world’s biggest single retailer airport operation.

A World Rover Colm McLoughlin was born in Co. Galway, Ireland. An intended career in dentistry took a back seat when he went to London in the early 1960s and began working in retail. In 1969 he returned to Ireland to join Shannon Duty Free. In 1983 McLoughlin joined an Aer Rianta team, contracted by the Dubai government, to set up Dubai Duty Free at Dubai International Airport. He was asked to stay on as General Manager of the fledging operation, which, in its first year of business, achieved sales of US$20 million. Last year it posted record annual sales of US$2.029 billion. McLoughlin was named Managing Director in 1995. In July 2011, he was appointed Executive Vice Chairman and CEO in June 2016. McLoughlin has been honoured with an overwhelming number of awards, both personal and professional, through those years. He celebrated 50 years in travel retail last year.

As reported, Dubai Duty Free is offering registered airport and retailer visitors to the Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo a chance to win US$1 million or a luxury car.

Many lucky winners have already claimed their tickets for the prize draws, which will run up to and during the Expo.

Dubai Duty Free is a Platinum Partner of the Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo.