When it comes to retailing trends in beauty, there’s something to be said when the world’s largest beauty marketer embarks upon a multibranded, multistore campaign.
But that’s just what $15.5 billion L’Oréal Group has done in the U.S. this year — opened, on a selected basis, freestanding stores across multiple brands, including the L’Oréal brand’s Living Lab in September, a Lancôme space in October and a Biotherm unit in November. L’Oréal Group’s plans call for another 15 Lancôme store openings throughout Europe, Asia and the U.S. in 2005. That’s not to mention continued gradual expansion of Kiehl’s Since 1851.
It’s akin to when, several years ago, the Estée Lauder Cos. opened locations seemingly door-after-door, including stores under the MAC Cosmetics, Jo Malone and Stila nameplates.
But this year’s beauty groundswell isn’t limited to L’Oréal.
Vertical giant Limited Brands got further into the beauty retail fray when it decided to expand Henri Bendel and open a branch in Easton Town Center, near Columbus, Ohio. That same week in October, it opened a C.O. Bigelow prototype in the same retail center.
Both brands are on an expansion track, with Limited’s Bath and Body Works division running the Bigelow prototype. Meanwhile, nearly two years ago, Limited began merchandising — and eventually adopted — third-party beauty brands into its retail formats, including BBW and Victoria’s Secret.
On the other hand, it has retrenched when performance hasn’t been up to snuff. Limited shuttered all nine Aura Science test stores and distribution of those products — jointly developed by Shiseido and Victoria’s Secret Beauty — began in VSB stores as well as BBW.
Smaller branded marketers like Molton Brown and Pixi are aligned with the store-opening trend, as well — as are brands like Penhaligon’s and L’Artisan Parfumeur. Lauder’s Origins brand recently opened its first Walk-in Wellness center in Macy’s Union Square in San Francisco.
Not to be left out, men’s grooming brand Truefitt and Hill opened a freestanding shop in Las Vegas in October. Also, the Nickel, Art of Shaving and John Allans brands are working on further development of their retail bases.
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Moving forward, and judging by the initial performance of these new beauty spaces, marketers are optimistic their initial efforts in the stand-alone arena won’t stand alone.