14 March, 2021

TRP Travel Retail Style Index: March 2021

Cho Gi Seok for CR Fashion Book

Welcome to the latest travel retail column for DRG by Alison Farrington aka The Retail Planner (TRP).

This month’s highlights are a new sustainability experience pop-up in Hainan, China as well as region-centric luxury launches in the Middle East and Asia that hint at a return to localised exclusivity.

1/ LANCÔME’S SUSTAINABLE PURPOSE. I’m impressed with the way Lancôme has translated its latest sustainability message of ‘Caring Together for a Happier Tomorrow’ into an interactive pop-up in Sanya, Hainan. The campaign space celebrates the launch of Lancôme Absolue Rose Soft Cream Refill Set amidst a sea of roses at the resort island’s China Duty Free shopping mall atrium.

Instead of the usual selfie-culture beauty-tech attractions, Lancôme has switched to an informative note. Once inside the pop-up, guests can create a virtual rose bouquet as a pledge to plant a physical rose at the company’s Domaine de la Rose farm in Grasse, France, or they are whisked away on a virtual bike ride around the rose farm while they learn about Lancôme’s renewable energy production. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments Beauty, Brands, Design, News, Retail concepts, Shopping Alison Farrington, business of beauty, Chanel, fragrance, Hermes, Lancome, Net-a-porter, retail concepts, travel retail

6 January, 2021

TRP Travel Retail Style Index: January 2021

Welcome to the latest travel retail column for DRG by Alison Farrington aka The Retail Planner (TRP).

As the first update of the New Year, we kick off with a brief look at the new laws for duty free here in the UK, as well as some positive retail news from China.

1/ SEE EU LATER. This month, there will undoubtedly be much Brexsplaining going on as travellers come to terms with the cancellation of tax-free shopping refunds for luxury fashion purchases in the UK. As of 1 January, the government has abolished the VAT Refund Scheme for non-EU travellers in the UK, meaning that shoppers from overseas can no longer claim their tax back on luxury purchases when they return home, unless the goods are shipped separately from the traveller (cost prohibitive). Meanwhile, the good news is that duty-free shopping is back for travel between the UK and EU (for alchohol and tobacco only), which means a Brexit bonanza for fans of the booze cruise. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments Beauty, Brands, Business of fashion, News, Shopping Alison Farrington, Bamford, business of beauty, fragrance, Gucci, Helena Rubinstein, Jo Malone London, Penhaligon's, retail news, shopping, technology, travel retail

19 November, 2020

Shop the post: Jo Malone Christmas collection 2020

There once was a time when Christmas wasn’t Christmas without the ‘Jo Malone Christmas in July’ extravaganza in the JML Townhouse. From the year they built a mini skating rink in the house, to the time Jonathan Saunders reimagined everything in candyfloss pink and green, you could never quite predict what the festivities would look like. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments Beauty, Brands, News, Online shopping, Shopping, Trends Christmas gifts, Christmas in July, fragrance, Jo Malone London, shopping

20 October, 2020

Five-buck Byredo candles are coming (*kind of)

This has to be one of the most genius post-Covid launches I’ve seen.

Byredo’s Ben Gorham has teamed up with IKEA to produce a line of scented candles in rustic-chic ceramic holders, which will sell for as little as £5. If there’s one thing we cherish now, it’s things that make our homes feel secure and comforting. Candles were one of the unsurprising successes of lockdown, with Perfumer H reporting an uptick of its hand-poured cult candles at the height of the pandemic and start-ups like Good Candles popping up out of nowhere. (more…)