UK. London-based Be Keen, a distributor of niche luxury fragrance brands to travel retail and local markets, is celebrating its tenth anniversary.
The company prides itself on a growth strategy for brands through authenticity, excellence, passion and, for some, an unorthodox approach described as “to run away from boredom and think differently”.
Established in 2012 by Abla Bencheikh and Antoine Khouzami, Be Keen’s focus has been on emerging and challenging markets, while following a plan of sustainable controlled growth over rapid expansion.
Its global reach stretches to 27 countries across five continents. The company collaborates with leading travel retailers including Aer Rianta International, DFS, Dufry, Gebr Heinemann and James Richardson.
Be Keen President Antione Khouzami said: “Be Keen is first and foremost a human adventure between creators, retailers and our team members. Bold, passionate, with a strong retail expertise on niche fragrance brands and a solid network of long-standing local partners in various countries.”
COO Abla Bencheikh commented: “We are proud to celebrate ten years of successful business operations in partnership with our valued luxury brand portfolio.”
She noted that premium fragrance houses such as Creed, État libre d’Orange, Escentric Molecules, Juliette has a Gun, Montale, Mancera and Tiziana Terenzi are Be Keen’s “lifeblood”.
“They define Be Keen as a distribution business and we share a common goal to help travel retailers deliver a more premium offer to their customers.”
“There is still a big opportunity for niche fragrance brands to target travellers in luxury airport retail environments. Luxury consumers are looking for authentic brands with genuine stories to tell.” – Be Keen COO Abla Bencheikh
The company’s long-term mission is to assist niche brands in building travel retail business globally through qualitative partnerships.
“Some of the niche brands out there try to go global on their own, but it can be very challenging to go direct. That is where Be Keen steps in. With a complementary portfolio of brands to answer everyone’s needs, and a highly trained and professional team, Be Keen has developed over the years a trustworthy, solid relationship with its partners,” Khouzami said.
Despite a move to more online shopping due to the pandemic, Bencheikh said in-store demand remains high for niche offerings. “There is still a big opportunity for niche fragrance brands to target travellers in luxury airport retail environments. Luxury consumers are looking for authentic brands with genuine stories to tell; Be Keen specialises in translating those emotional, creative stories into human connections.”
Looking to the future in travel retail, Be Keen is driving new partnership opportunities, particularly in South and Central America (Argentina, Brazil, Panama), Southeast Asia and China.
“We wish to keep true to our roots and continue growing market share wherever relevant,” Khouzami added. “There is a real appeal for niche brands nowadays, with a lot of retailers wishing to diversify their offer. We want to resist distributing those brands where they do not belong, and remain truly niche and artistic.”
