欧莱雅旗下高端品牌伊索关闭中国首店

Core Insights - Aesop, a high-end fragrance brand under L'Oréal Group, will close its first store in mainland China on May 11 due to lease expiration, while still maintaining 19 other stores in the region [1][2] - L'Oréal Group acquired Aesop for approximately $2.5 billion, marking it as the largest acquisition in the company's history [1] - Aesop's sales in 2022 reached $537 million, and the brand is expected to join L'Oréal's billion-dollar brand club in the future [2] Group 1: Business Performance - Aesop's business in China is still in its early stages, having opened its first store in 2022 [2] - L'Oréal's high-end cosmetics division faced performance challenges, with a revenue growth of only 2.7% in 2024, the lowest among its four main divisions [2] - Despite a 5% sales growth in China in 2023, L'Oréal did not separately report the performance of its high-end cosmetics division in the Chinese market [2][3] Group 2: Retail Strategy - L'Oréal's travel retail business is also under pressure, particularly in Hainan, with a focus on maintaining healthy inventory levels [3] - Aesop opened its first travel retail flagship store in Hainan's Sanya International Duty-Free City, emphasizing a unique store design and interactive travel experience [3] - In 2024, Aesop plans to open 13 new stores in China as part of a global expansion of 42 new stores [3] Group 3: Leadership Changes - Aesop recently underwent a leadership change with the departure of CEO Michael O'Keeffe, who had been with the company for 22 years [4] - The company has not yet announced a successor for O'Keeffe, who was instrumental in implementing a retail experience-focused strategy [4] - L'Oréal Group emphasized the importance of physical stores in its high-end cosmetics division, planning to open 165 new stores in 2024 [4]