Colm McLoughlin, an Irishman who landed in the deserts of the United Arab Emirates and helped lead Dubai Duty Free to become an airport retail behemoth, has died aged 81. Mr McLoughlin ran Dubai Duty Free from 1983 until he retired earlier this year, a span of more than 40 years which saw Dubai grow from a river-side trading port into a modern metropolis, home to the world’s tallest building and other attractions. And all the millions of passengers arriving at Dubai International Airport, now the world’s busiest for international travel, saw the rows of electronics, cigarettes, cigars, alcohol and other goods available duty-free at his stores, sold by a salesforce in green jackets, yellow ties and conversing in multiple languages.
“It’s a very Middle Eastern kind of thing,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 1987 as he showed off its gold market. “We have to cater to a lot of tastes.” Dubai Duty Free said in a statement that Mr McLoughlin died on Wednesday after a short illness.
The operation’s new managing director, Ramesh Cidambi, praised Mr McLoughlin for steering its “growth to a two billion dollar business with over 6,000 employees at the time of his retirement”. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chief executive of long-haul carrier Emirates and chairman of Dubai Duty Free, offered his condolences. “His passion, commitment and pioneering spirit have left a lasting legacy,” Sheikh Ahmed said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Born in Ballinasloe, Ire.
