L’Oreal reported a 9.4 per cent rise in first quarter sales on a like-for-like basis on Thursday, beating expectations and easing concerns about a slowdown in the two biggest beauty markets the United States and China. The French cosmetics giant, which owns the Maybelline and Lancome brands, reported sales of 11.24 billion euros ($11.98 billion) for the first three months to the end of March. The sales growth exceeded a consensus of a 6.1 per cent rise cited by analysts at Jefferies. Sales were up 8.3 per cent on a reported basis. L’Oreal, the world’s biggest beauty company, said sales in both ..read more

Since joining British footwear retailer JD Sports in 2022, chief executive Régis Schultz has laid out an ambitious growth plan to open 350 new stores per year, with a strong focus on North America and Europe. The retailer recently unveiled a new global flagship on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris as the city prepares to welcome athletes from around the world for the Olympic Games, but for Schultz, it’s no reason to rest on his laurels. “The best store is the one coming,” he said in a fireside chat at the World Retail Congress this week.  Finding the right spaces within malls When it ..read more

Retail Fest 2024 keynote speakers and panel guests analysed and strategised how retailers can approach a hybrid shopping experience. The consensus is that both online and offline stores require a deep understanding of brand and consumers. Technology and opportunities to connect with customers are rapidly evolving but top industry marketers are still championing the fundamentals. The formula to be able to convert online and offline involves building a strong brand community through distinct messaging, focusing on the customers you already have and creating unique experiences. Stand for nothing ..read more

Inside Retail’s Top 50 People in E-Commerce is an annual ranking of the most impressive and inspiring leaders in Australia’s online retail industry. Our 2024 report features C-level executives with decades of leadership experience, alongside start-up founders and digital specialists with a wide range of skills, from marketing to logistics. You can download it here. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing in-depth profiles of this year’s Top 10. Here’s the story of how #8, Argylica Conditsis, founder and director at Babyboo, built an e-commerce empire from the ground up.  ..read more

Swatch has opened an art exhibition to celebrate its new store at Collins Street in Melbourne, one of its largest locations in the Southern Hemisphere. The watch retailer partnered with Tata Gallery to showcase its brand-new range of products through a pop-up art maze installation. The art journey is available for guests from April 19 to 26, between 11 am and 3 pm daily. The brand said the partnership symbolises a journey through time, genre, and self-expression. The Collins Street shop is an addition to Swatch’s existing Australian shops at Pitt Street, Bondi Junction, Queen Street, South Wha ..read more

Booktopia Group says it has delivered a positive cash flow of $781,000 in the March quarter, thanks to cost-saving and efficiency efforts. The positive cash flow came despite what is traditionally a relatively lean trading period in line with the softer performance of the book market at the start of the calendar year and a quieter season for consumer goods retailers, following the Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas sales events. The company said conditions remain challenging due to economic conditions and the persisting soft performance of the book market, noting that students at the te ..read more

Many countries in Asia and around the world have already regulated so-called ‘single-use’ plastic bags out of existence, or have imposed strong disincentives to their use that are likely just steps along the way to banning them completely. Enforcement has been a bit patchy to say the least, and because consumers love them for their convenience and ease of use some retailers still dole them out. In any event, the phrase ‘single-use’ was always a concoction because it simply ignores basic consumer behaviour: the bags are, or at least were, strong enough to reuse and adapt for other purposes. Who ..read more

French prestige beauty retailer Sephora is widely recognised as a leader in its category, with 3000 stores and 52,000 team members operating worldwide.  Founded in Limoges in 1969, the company was acquired by LVMH in 1996 and over the past decade, it has been on a growth trajectory, as evidenced by its record sales and profits in 2023.  As part of LVMH’s selective retailing division, Sephora doesn’t typically break out its results but global president and chief executive Guillaume Motte recently shared an overview of the retailer’s global growth in his keynote speech at the World Ret ..read more

Musician and celebrity Nicki Minaj has invested in the sustainable sneakers brand Løci and has designed a limited-edition collection. The collection will feature five distinct styles made from Løci’s next-gen material bio-leather, a blend of non-food grade corn and recycled textiles, available in 11 colours. Prices range from US$185 to US$200. Minaj will actively participate in the business as it grows and evolves, with her investment further cementing Løci as a black-owned business. “Their mission resonates with mine. Sneakers have undeniably played a transformative role in shaping my unique ..read more

While the questions that plague the retail industry never change, the answers are constantly in flux and evolve to respond to the broader landscape. It is the lack of stagnation in retail that has Nick Gray, a retail specialist who earned his stripes at Adidas, Nike and Westfield, believing that “retail is not rocket science, it’s harder”. At the 2024 Retail Fest in the Gold Coast Gray spoke to the defining camps that brands misattribute themselves to and as a result, fail to identify their purpose which drives sales. Retail is camping  According to Gray, retailers distinctly fall into on ..read more