British perfume house Penhaligon’s London is targeting travel retail with its range of over 35 fragrances, and has appointed specialist brand agency Be Keen to handle its distribution within the sector.
To date Be Keen has secured listings for Penhaligon’s in Antalya Airport with The Nuance Group and in John F Kennedy International Airport Terminal 4 with DFS. The brand will also take spaces in Nuance’s new store in St Petersburg Pulkovo Airport and in Qatar Duty Free.
Penhaligon’s has an extensive distribution network comprising stand-alone boutiques and personalised corners across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
“Around 55% of our turnover is through the UK and while we have become much more “˜global’ in recent years, we want to continue increasing our worldwide presence,” said Penhaligon’s CEO Sarah Rotheram.
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Inspired by the Royal House of Marwar-Jodphur in Rajasthan, Vaara is named after the granddaughter of HH Maharaja Gaj Singh II |
“We believe that travel retail can help us to achieve our goal and that, in itself, it presents a valuable opportunity for the brand. Consumers internationally are becoming much more in-tune with and aware of niche brands such as ours and this is certainly being reflected in travel retail slowly but surely. For Penhaligon’s, travel retail represents a voice to the world, one which can play an important strategic role in our growth moving forward,” she added.
According to Rotheram, niche does not simply mean expensive. She explained: “We can categorically say that every Penhaligon’s fragrance is truly niche – developed sometimes over years with every juice inspired by individuals, people and places. We have a commitment to using only the finest ingredients in creating juices of unsurpassed quality, with each fragrance created by taking the perfumeur out of the laboratory and into the “˜world’ which we are trying to recreate.”
Penhaligon’s is about the emotive power of scent, continued Rotheram. “It can unlock memories and open doors; it can stop us in our tracks, lost somewhere for a moment in time. Recollections triggered by a dusting or iris, a whisper of clove, a burst of juicy nectarine, a trail of smoky incense, a creamy lick of vanilla.”
The result is a range that includes timeless fragrances such as Hammam Bouquet, which has only had one formula change since 1870, and Blenheim Bouquet originating from 1902. Recent launches, which will be offered to travel retail, include Iris Prima which is inspired by the English National Ballet; Vaara, a fragrance inspired by the Royal House of Marwar-Jodphur in Rajasthan; and a new miniature set containing 5ml bottles of Lily of the Valley, Malabah, Ellenisia, Artemisia and Gardenia (Ladies’ set) or 5ml bottles of Blenheim Bouquet, Endymion, Quercus, Sartorial and Opus 1870 (Gentlemen’s set).
Rotheram said that Be Keen was chosen to represent Penhaligon’s because of its knowledge of and experience in the travel retail industry. “We have our own distribution partners in various parts of the world but felt we needed a specialist for travel retail – we realise it is a channel that works under quite different rules to the domestic market and therefore needs a very particular approach and understanding.
“We are very, very careful about how the brand is displayed and represented. Penhaligon’s is not a brand that can simply be put on shelf without any strategy. Be Keen understands the importance of consistency of presentation, display, pricing and brand positioning. Their knowledge of the travel retail industry in general and the niche market in particular is without parallel. We trust them to be as precious about the brand as we are.”
Be Keen President Antoine Khouzami commented: “We are confident that Penhaligon’s has real potential in travel retail; not just within the niche fragrance area of a store, but as a boutique brand in its own right.”
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Iris Prima, developed by master perfumer Alberto Morillas in partnership with the English National Ballet, aims to capture the world of dance |
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The Gentlemen’s Fragrance Collection (left) and the Ladies’ Fragrance Collection (right) | |
Currently Penhaligon’s operates own-brand shops in the UK, France and Singapore, with new shops planned for opening in Hong Kong and Macau before the end of the year. “These shops are like walking into an “˜Alice in Wonderland’ world – bright, colourful, quirky and utterly engaging for consumers; the concept is perfect for travel retail,” Khouzami noted.
“We will be targeting key strategic airports but in a selective manner to ensure the brand is correctly expressed,” Khouzami stressed.
Each one of the Penhaligon’s range of scents offers a variety of additional products, dependent on the story. Sartorial, for example, also offers a shower gel, after shave balm, moustache wax and various accessories. A new range of scented candles is also planned for next year, along with several other launches.
“As the niche sector grows within travel retail, brands like Penhaligon’s come into their own,” Be Keen Business Development Manager Abla Bencheikh highlighted.
“It’s the quality of the product and the process that makes each fragrance unique and niche. Five years ago it would have been too early for Penhaligon’s in travel retail, but now we are confident the time is right for the brand. The offer anchors on the fragrances, but with many gift lines also offered, the total concept is compelling both for retailers and ever more demanding and knowledgeable travellers.”
About Penhaligon’s London
The story of Penhaligon’s began in the Victorian era of discovery when William Penhaligon founded a barber’s shop in Jermyn Street, Piccadilly in the late 1860s. By the end of Queen Victoria’s reign, he had been appointed Barber and Perfumer to the Royal Court. In 1903 the business was granted a Royal Warrant by Queen Alexandra.
Today, over 140 years later, Penhaligon’s still holds two long-standing Royal Warrants. With a portfolio of more than 30 fragrances, Penhaligon’s scents are today still made in England using the finest rare ingredients. The signature Penhaligon’s fragrance bottle remains true to William Penhaligon’s original design: clear glass with a distinctive ribbon-wrapped stopper.
For more information, contact Antoine Khouzami, President, Be Keen Limited; e-mail: akhouzami@be-keen.com. Visit www.penhaligons.com.
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Likened to the world of Alice in Wonderland, Penhaligon’s stores are believed to be a suitable concept for travel retail, according to Be Keen |
