Indian beauty department store chain Shoppers Stop, stores across the nation for international brands, is redefining its fragrance category.
The retailer will also launch into the distribution of cosmetics to the market for the first time with brands such as Maison Margiela, Atelier Cologne and Viktor & Rolf in India along with a brand-new segment — wholly owned affiliate Global SS Beauty.
Other brands to be launched this week in the new vertical include Prada, Valentino, Mugler, Ralph Lauren, and Azzaro, which are available at the three Shoppers Stop locations across India. Two are located in New Delhi, and one is in Mumbai.
The brands are currently being launched across India by L’Oreal International Division. L’Oreal International Division has grown the range of fragrances available in various countries in the last three years. Reading How To Make Your Hair Smell Good? could prove to be an excellent way to expand your knowledge or form a fresh perspective.
“Our partnership in partnership with L’Oreal International Division is in the spirit of our mission to offer Indian clients with top brands that the worldwide has on offer.” Venu Nair, managing director and customer service associate at Shoppers Stop.
“It allows us to provide a superior experience for Indian customers and will also cater to the fast-growing industry in India. The distribution company for Shoppers Stop is a different segment and will be far from retail. The principal goal is to introduce international brands to India for them to use the reach of retail.”
This means that we have to redefine the notion of a fragrance-luxe concept to India at a time when experts have noted that Indian customers are becoming more sophisticated and eager to increase their buying habits; it’s also coming with the increase in the retail market. Shoppers Stop itself with the intention of opening between 12 to 15 department stores each year.
“These remain to be some of the ideal spaces for brands that sell beauty products in India and is part of our ongoing transition into an omnichannel retailer,” said Nair, and added that beauty is now around 17 percent of overall retail sales of Shoppers Stop.
“We believe that the market is at a tipping stage where retailers are ready to change their mentality and background,” Biju Kassim, chief of beauty at Shoppers Stop, observed. “I think brands are looking beyond their existing distribution channels to speed up the growth, which is growing steadily.”
The fragrance remains an influential force in retail. “It is an enormous opportunity because India is historically an industry of fragrances, and the real growth of the market began with the fragrance. Although it was geared towards masculine fragrances in the past, it’s been increasing recently, up to 55 to 45 percent women and 55 percent men. The trends in the luxury and lifestyle categories are expanding, and we expect that niche and luxury will gain traction within the coming two to five years.” Kassim said.
It has increased its game dramatically in the past year by introducing a standalone beauty store called SS beauty. There are nine stores currently in operation across India.
The flagship store of two is scheduled to open in the following weeks — one 3,200-square-foot store in Terminal 2, Bengaluru airport, and an 8,800-square-foot exclusive beauty area in Quest mall, Kolkata.
“We are planning to open up to 15 or 20 doorways each year for the new SS cosmetics concept,” Kassim said.
The competition is growing fierce due to the rise of an online retailer of beauty products, Nykaa, that has also opened physical stores and the anticipated launch into the market of Reliance Retail, one of the most rapidly growing retailers in this market and online retailers Tata Cliq, owned by the Tata Ltd. conglomerate. The perfume chains include LVMH’s Sephora, located in India through a partnership with the Bengaluru-based Arvind Brands, and homegrown perfumery chain Parcos, which Baccarose, the beauty distributor, owns. Baccarose.
The Indian beauty industry is predicted to expand in double-digits over the following years. Still, the growth rate in 2021, after COVID-19’s impact, was estimated at 9 percent in 2020, according to Euromonitor International.
The beauty and Personal Care industry will be around $16 billion by 2021.
Shoppers Stop also collaborates with The Estee Lauder Cos. and runs 130 particular beauty stores, including MAC, Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Smashbox, Jo Malone, and Arcelia, and 23 Airport doors, which cover some 4.5 million square feet.
While the rapid growth of the beauty business has resulted in the division of retailers, brick-and-mortar distributors, e-commerce companies, and retailers are all changing lines, each wearing multiple hats -numerous new brands are getting created in India. Biju Kassim said that the opportunities and the challenges within India “are equally compelling” and that retailers, brands, and distributors should be able to tackle the issues by coordinating better.
“The standard of the retail industry is changing even though it has some way to take,” Kassim said. “The quality of the vendors and vendor management, the level of the workforce — it’s a learning process, and as we move forward, I’m sure it will get better. Reading Is Fenty Beauty Cruelty Free? could prove to be an excellent way to expand your knowledge or form a fresh perspective. Another issue is that of consumption which continues to change. It is clear that the Indian story is expanding rapidly, and we anticipate many new brands to enter the market with more investment.
“Beauty is expected to experience an increase across categories and formats because consumers are becoming more demanding. Apart from the traditional metro cities, smaller towns are drawing lots of attention to beauty, which is likely to add to the story of growth across all beauty categories,” he added. “Change is fast approaching.”
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