Q1: Harrods partnered with Yorkshire-based waste management and recycling business My Group. Morphe announced that it is closing all of its US stores for good. The Body Shop entered Kenya via the franchisee The Mask Retailers. LVMH closed all physical retail locations across China for its local luxury skincare brand, Cha Ling, and shut down its official WeChat account. The Detox Market teamed up with Faces and launched into the Middle East. Tata Group revealed plans to launch a tech-heavy, multi-brand beauty retail chain in India.
Q2: Troubled German department store Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof shuttered 40 percent of its portfolio. Sephora, Digitas, and TikTok partnered on an incubator program. Lotte Duty-Free launched a ‘hyper-personalized’ marketing campaign powered by AI and big data. Dior Popped-Up at Sydney harbourside to celebrate the restoration of the historic residence, 30 Avenue Montaigne. Kao announced its intention to train 5,500 beauty sales staff to serve customers in-store and online. Beautycounter announced a partnership with Ulta Beauty. Gwyneth Paltrow permanently closed the London-based Goop store. Reliance Retail entered the beauty e-commerce space by launching a new platform, Tira. e.l.f. Beauty made plans to exit the Chinese market.
Q3: Dries Van Noten unveiled a revolutionary retail concept in Paris. TikTok partnered with various logistics firms in the UK and US. Shopify introduced a new application named ‘Collabs Network.’ Aesop reintroduced its Queer Library in London. Prai Beauty launched a Neck Bar in the Marks & Spencer. Sephora inaugurated its first ‘Store of the Future’ in Shanghai. Clarins implemented Alipay+ in Madrid and Barcelona. Sulwhasoo held its first regional LazMall Super Brand Day through a partnership with Lazada. Sephora Canada premiered a new immersive installation powered by Colour iQ. AmorePacific teamed up with KakaoTalk to sell products through it’s messaging app.
Q4: Avon UK started selling products in Superdrug stores and online. SOS partnered with Ulta Beauty to provide Ultimate Rewards members complimentary products via vending machines. Lush began selling a select range of products on Ulta Beauty’s website. Yakult opened a multi-functional space combining a café, beauty salon, and gallery. The Perfume Shop launched its first multi-brand fragrance refill station.
Klarna expanded its growth tools for retailers. The owner of Saks cashed in its real estate to shore up its retail arm. Sephora held its first SEPHORiA event in China. Alibaba snapped up a minority interest in the Vietnamese beauty chain Hasaki. Walgreens stores were closed for Thanksgiving. Sephora US secured its fragrances. Walgreens shuttered warehouses as stores doubled up as fulfilment centres. Asos launched its first physical pop-up. LVMH-owned Sephora partnered with Reliance Retail to further its expansion into the Indian market.
