US. L’Oreal Produits De Luxe International Travel Retail worldwide boss Eric Lauzat is leaving travel retail to become President of Lancôme USA.
The news, which he has been quietly sharing with the trade over recent weeks, was formally announced last night at a Parbel cocktail party to launch Armani Mania in the Americas. Lauzat will be taking over the position on 1 July. His replacement will be named soon.
Travel Markets Insider reported that during the cocktail party last night Lauzat was presented with a photo montage of highlights from his career over the past 25 years. He also watched a video tribute from Grupo WISA’s (formerly the Waked Group) Abdul Waked, Monalisa’s Faical Hammoud, Michael Dinar, Aldeasa’s Lorenzo de Benito Moreno, Interbaires’ Enrique Urioste, Parbel’s Galia Sandres, and several other company colleagues
“Many things have changed over the past 25 years. The only thing that has not changed is the warmth of the people and my affection for the people of this region,” he said.
Hugely popular and respected among his peers and retailers alike, Eric Lauzat has driven the extraordinary success of his group in the travel retail channel with vision, warmth and passion. An immensely humane individual, he has been a great believer in true partnerships with retailers and will be remembered as one of the truly outstanding figures in the industry’s recent history.
His standing is reflected in his appointment as President of Lancôme USA, the most important international market for the French house. He had been keen to return to the US for some time.
