Yesterday, according to media reports, L’Oréal’s perfume brand Atelier Cologne has launched a global expansion plan, starting from mainland China, less than a year after its relaunch.
It is reported that Atelier Cologne was relaunched in mid-March this year at the Shanghai’s IFC mall, Beijing’s SKP mall, and Tmall. Following this, the brand accelerated its rollout. Recently, Atelier Cologne opened its first standalone flagship store in Taiwan.
Industry insiders have noted that Atelier Cologne ranks among the top 10 in all the stores it operates in China, and in most cases, within the top 5. Moreover, the brand also performs well online. For example, Atelier Cologne ranks among the top 15 on Tmall.
Founded in 2009, Atelier Cologne was acquired by L’Oréal in 2016. Sandrine Groslier, L’Oréal’s Global President of Luxury Fragrance Brands, stated, xpansion is a top priority, but we won’t take a cookie-cutter approach since no two Atelier Cologne stores are visually the same. Each time we open, we unveil a new design.
In Groslier’s view, the Chinese market still holds great potential. She pointed out, currently, only 5% of Chinese consumers purchase perfumes, compared to over 50% in the U.S. and more than 45% in Europe.
Additionally, Groslier believes there is still room for growth for niche or independent brands. Therefore, she sees rapid development opportunities for Atelier Cologne in China.
Groslier also mentioned that the current goal is “to expand the brand globally.” However, she remained tight-lipped about specific plans, stating that there is significant demand for Atelier Cologne in the U.S., where the brand has been successful in the past. “We are looking at Europe and the Middle East, where the potential for fragrance brands is enormous,” Groslier said.
