QDF: Business is going to be tough – use data wisely

By Faye Bartle | Monday, 12 January 2026 11:46

Qatar Duty Free’s revenue is on the ascent and Thabet Musleh, Chief Retail and Hospitality Officer, Qatar Airways Group, insists that the drive to deliver stand-out experiences informs decision-making at every turn. He explains how this laser focus on experiencentricity is accelerating the retailer’s three-year plan to double its business by 2027.

It’s a landmark year for Qatar Duty Free (QDF), with its milestone 25th anniversary in May and Qatar Airways Group announcing the strongest set of financial results in its history for the 24/25 fiscal year, with profits for the Group (encompassing cargo, catering and Qatar Duty Free) reaching QAR7.85bn (US$2.15bn) – an increase of more than QAR1.7bn (US$0.5bn) versus the year before. What’s more, the result has given rise to a record-breaking 28% increase in profit.

Within the results, revenue from ‘duty-free goods and beverages’ hit QAR3.56 billion (approx. $977.2m), up from QAR3.14 billion (approx. $862.4m) the prior fiscal year. [These figures are not exact equivalents of QDF’s revenue, but come close – Ed]. It may come as no surprise then that new developments are coming thick and fast. Hamad International Airport (DOH) has seen a major expansion with the opening of Concourses D and E, completed in March ahead of schedule, boosting the hub’s annual passenger (pax) capacity to 65 million.

QDF pledged to launch in excess of 25 new retail and F&B concepts this year, with Zegna, Brunello Cucinelli, Vilebrequin and the Lancôme Café de la Rose among the crop of latest stores. And of course, one of the most high-profile new additions and the one that Thabet Musleh, Chief Retail and Hospitality Officer, Qatar Airways Group, is “most excited about” is the first Pop Mart store in the Middle East, giving travellers a coveted chance to get their hands on the viral Labubu character.

With softening spend per passenger (SPP) weighing on DF&TR stakeholders around the world, cynics may expect every move to be driven solely by its potential for generating riyals, though Musleh is quick to highlight that this is simply not the case. In fact, he says, it’s ‘experiencentricity’ – making sure every decision revolves around the passenger experience – that trumps any other aspect when it comes to building the offering.

In 2024, Musleh asserted that, through this approach, the QDF team was going to double the business in three years’ time. Fast forward to October 2025, and he is steadfastly confident that this ambition will be realised – as he relayed to TRBusiness in this video exchange film in Cannes in October 2025. Hit play on the video above for an update on this and more…

This feature first appeared in the TRBusiness November/December issue. Click here to read the full version.