Parfumerie Douglas, one of the Europe’s largest fragrance and cosmetic retailer, and also the parent company of Douglas Cosmetics, is exiting the US market after two decades. The chain of four Douglas boutiques located in Marlton, N.J., Westport, Conn., Philadelphia and Washington
has been bought by US-based beauty apothecary and spa, Bluemercury.
The acquisition will help Bluemercury increase its store count to 33 by this year end, with also a plan to open 10 more Bluemercury locations in 2011.
“Our clients are dying for a friendly neighbourhood store. It’s an experiment for us as the Douglas stores have brands that we currently don’t carry, which gives us an opportunity to open a new format in the future. A sampling of brands includes Clinique, La Prairie, YSL, Estée Lauder, Clarins, Shiseido and Chanel. New brands will be weaved into existing stores this spring,” says Marla Malcolm Beck, Chief Executive Officer, Bluemercury.
All four stores will be remodeled to reflect Bluemercury’s store design and will be rebranded as ‘Bluemercury 2.’ The store layouts, which range from 3,000 to 4,000 square feet, are larger than Bluemercury’s typical footprint.
Posted on: 17.11.2010
Source: www.wwd.com
