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Colm McLoughlin, Irishman who led Dubai Duty Free to become an airport retail giant, dies at age 81
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In this undated photo provided by Dubai Duty Free, Colm McLoughlin poses for a photograph in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 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, died Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. He was 81. - photo by Dubai Duty Free via AP
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, 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.