Bath & Body Works Executive Vice President, International Tony Garrison discusses the brand’s evolution and how fragrance discovery and meaningful partnerships underpin its ambitions for the channel, in conversation with The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Director Hannah Tan,
Founded 35 years ago in the USA, Bath & Body Works is now a US$7.5 billion turnover business with around 2,000 stores worldwide, according to Garrison.
Its latest evolution spans a new logo, packaging, fixtures and marketing, alongside changes to its product formulations.
“We want to stay fresh and relevant to our consumers, so we’ve updated our logo, our products and our overall approach as a company,” he says.
For travel retail, the refresh encompasses both the presentation of the brand and the experience it offers shoppers. New fixtures, colours and packaging support fragrance discovery, while updated marketing seeks to strengthen its relevance to beauty consumers.
“We’re also updating our formulas – what’s in the bottle as well as what’s on it,” Garrison comments. “We’re very conscious of how our products make you feel, and we want you to find your feel-good in our stores.”
Discovery is key to the proposition. With a broad fragrance portfolio, Bath & Body Works aims to offer travellers opportunities to find a favourite scent through testing, sampling and interaction.
“We’re in a very competitive category, but we offer an experience that goes beyond everyday beauty.”
“As we grow the business, we’re looking at how to create activations and exciting opportunities in travel retail,” he says. “Of course, we want consumers to shop, but the question is how can we create kiosks that give them a chance to enjoy mini spa moments and small indulgences?”
Travel retail will be key in helping Bath & Body Works go beyond its predominantly US network with Garrison pointing to the appeal of its fragrance portfolio among consumers worldwide.
“Through our different channels, we’re discovering we are a global brand, with strong appeal among consumers around the world,” he comments. “They’re finding their favourite fragrances within our portfolio, and we see an even bigger opportunity in both domestic markets and travel retail.”
That confidence underpins a clear growth ambition: “My goal is to greatly scale our travel retail business through global expansion,” Garrison says.
Finding the right strategic partners will be central to delivering that goal, alongside retail formats that communicate the breadth of the offer and bring its experiential qualities to life.
“We see great opportunity in the experiential nature of Bath & Body Works, and we want to bring that to life across the different travel retail channels,” Garrison concludes.✈
