Colm McLoughlin, Irishman who led Dubai Duty Free to become an airport retail giant, dies at age 81

Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Colm McLoughlin, an Irishman who landed in the deserts of the United Arab Emirates and helped lead Dubai Duty Free into becoming an airport retail behemoth generating billions of dollars a year, has died. He was 81. McLoughlin ran Dubai Duty Free from 1983 until he retired earlier this year, a span of over 40 years that saw Dubai grow from a creekside trading port into a modern metropolis, home to the world’s tallest building and other attractions. Dubai Duty Free said in a statement that McLoughlin died Wednesday after a short illness, without elaborating.