Sponsor of the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials Weekend

In addition to the retail division Dubai Duty Free operates a Leisure Division which includes The Irish Village both in Garhoud and Studio One Hotel, the Century Village, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, home to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and The Jumeirah Creekside Hotel

To date, Dubai Duty Free has received over 750 awards including its record tenth Frontier ‘Airport Retailer of the Year’ Award in 2021. In 2022, Dubai Duty Free won its 21st consecutive Business Traveller Middle East Award for "Best Airport for Duty Free Shopping in the Middle East", the Gulf Business "Retail Company of the Year" award and the sixteenth consecutive Global Traveler Award for "Best Duty-Free Shopping in the World."

Founded on 20th December 1983, Dubai Duty Free celebrated its 39th anniversary in December 2022 and recorded annual sales of US$1.74 billion. Now employing over 5,000 people, the operation has consistently raised the benchmark for airport retailing and it continues to grow

In 2022, Dubai Duty Free recorded over 17.3 million sales transactions which average at 46,912 sales transactions per day, while a staggering 47.302 million units of merchandise were sold. The bestselling categories are Perfume followed by Liquor, Gold, Cigarettes & Tobacco, and Electronics. Sales in Departures reached US$1.53 billion and accounted for 88% of total 2022 sales

Operating at Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airports, Dubai Duty Free increased its luxury boutique footprint with the introduction of a Cartier shop in Concourse B of Dubai International Airport, while the Chanel boutique located in Concourse A, which had remained closed since 2020, was reopened after renovation.

Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Colm McLoughlin was also the recipient of two personal awards including being honoured with the inaugural Middle East & Africa Duty Free Association (MEADFA) Lifetime Achievement Award and being named the "Most Inspiring Leader - Retail (UAE)" at the Global Brand Awards.

Good Afternoon and a very warm welcome to the first day of the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials Weekend and another Flat Season here at Newbury!

This afternoon sees the seventh running of our longest flat race, now with the value of £40,000, The Compton Beauchamp Estates Ltd Silver Bar Handicap, which takes place over two miles and two furlongs. My thanks extend to our sponsors, Dreweatts, Darley, Compton Beauchamp Estates and the family of Bridget Fetherston– Godley, and of course Dubai Duty Free who take title sponsorship across this weekend.

2023 marks the 27th year of sponsorship from our long-standing partner, Dubai Duty Free. During that time, Dubai Duty Free has enjoyed considerable success as a business and we are hugely grateful for their ongoing and generous support of racing here. We are delighted to welcome Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Colm McLoughlin and members of the Dubai Duty Free team back to Newbury for an enjoyable weekend with us.

We are thrilled to also welcome the Craft Beer Festival back after three years, featuring over 30 real ale and ciders from local brewers. Visit the beer tent and get the taste buds flowing with a large variety on offer as well as live acoustic music throughout the afternoon. Our partner Renegade Brewery has their pop up bar situated near the entrance of the Crafty Filly if you want to enjoy the new beers they have launched this year such as Queensbury Jack IPA and Renegade Master as well as old favourites like Good Old Boy.

The Dubai Duty Free Marquee is well worth a visit with complimentary Arabic coffee and dates on offer, plus the wheel of fortune is back with many prizes up for grabs including entry into the Finest Surprise and Millennium Millionaire draws!

We conclude today with the Showpiece Design HEROS Charity race in support of HEROS which will take place at 5.55pm. Please do come and cheer on these riders who have been training incredibly hard over the last few months, whilst raising valuable funds for the charity – we wish them all the very best.

Finally, we are delighted to be reopening the brand new Hennessy Restaurant this weekend, which has undergone a major refurbishment. We hope those that dine with us in The Hennessy this weekend enjoy their experience in this stunning facility.

Thank you for choosing to spend your day with us. I hope you have an enjoyable afternoon and that we see many of you back here again tomorrow for the second day of the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials Weekend.

Julian Thick Chief Executive Newbury Racecourse