UK. L’Oréal Travel Retail has partnered with Dufry and Heathrow Airport to open the first permanent Valentino Beauty counter in European travel retail. The space is located in Terminal 5, with a similar installation planned for the Dufry store in Terminal 3 to be unveiled in April.
The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Director Hannah Tan-Gillies and Assistant Editor Ameesha Raizada were on location for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The opening was attended by key executives from Dufry and L’Oréal including Dufry Head of Beauty Category Delphine Poultney; L’Oréal Travel Retail General Manager TRWW YSL, Valentino Beauty, Shu Uemura, Urban Decay; and IT Cosmetics Guillaume Ducout and L’Oréal Travel Retail EMEAI General Manager Antny Rankin.
Inspired by an Italian palazzo, the counter design is centred around Valentino Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli’s ‘Cool, Colour, Couture’ mantra. It features a vibrant Valentino pink and black colour palette, with the brand’s signature rock stud details and pink terrazzo materials on full display.
Neon lights add further drama to the retail space, which blends Roman architecture elements with industrial design touches. The boutique, according to the partners, represents a merging of heritage and couture with the new contemporary and colourful spirit of the brand.
The two-axis counter offers the brand’s makeup and fragrance lines alongside several beauty tech innovations. These include L’Oréal’s Modiface virtual try-on mirror as well as Flash Makeup Services led by Valentino Beauty makeup artists.
Product highlights include the Valentino Rosso lipstick line, the inclusive Very Valentino Foundation collection, the Go-Clutch compact, Very Valentino Concealer and Twin Liners. In terms of fragrances, the counter puts a special focus on the brand’s Born in Roma and Voce Viva lines.
The back wall displays a wide choice of fragrances, aligned with the beauty brand’s desire to create a colour for every mood and desire.
Through the counter, Valentino Beauty invites Heathrow travellers to embrace their own individuality and self-expression through couture and beauty by featuring formulas that amplify the couture house’s DNA.
Watch the YouTube video for exclusive video coverage from the Valentino Beauty opening event. Shot by Hannah Tan-Gillies with editing by Declan Moodie.
Commenting on the opening, Ducout said: “I’m happy to reveal Valentino Beauty makeup today at Heathrow. There is no doubt that this new eye-catching brand corner will captivate all the passengers in this terminal.
“There is definitely a Valentino momentum happening all over the planet,” Ducout added. “Valentino is super hot at the minute and has recently been ranked as the fifth-hottest brand in the Lyst Index. In terms of fragrances, our key pillars Born in Roma and Voce Viva are booming. We are keeping the level of media activities high to keep driving Valentino’s brand awareness and we’re capitalising on this momentum to launch the makeup collection today.”
Ducout added: “We really feel this momentum is linked to the brand’s sense of purpose: ‘Cool, colour, couture’. Every time we speak to consumers, this positioning is both clear and appealing to them. ‘Couture makeup begins with you’ is the motto of our communication campaign and plays a big role in how we are bringing the brand’s sense of purpose to life.”
Notably, the counter is built with modular displays using sustainable materials. Many lines in the collection are refillable, including the lipstick, blush and compact products, with the brand’s eco-credentials effectively signposted throughout the space.
Rankin added: “We are extremely happy to launch this first counter in European travel retail. It is our strong partnership with Dufry and Heathrow that has allowed us to work together to bring the cool, exciting and inclusive Valentino Beauty brand to everyone in this airport.
“We know that Heathrow is one of the major aviation hubs in Europe with the most diverse passenger mix and that Terminal 5 represents 40% of all passengers going through Heathrow. We chose Terminal 5 because we really wanted to maximise the visibility of this makeup brand in this key terminal.
“Makeup is the next category boom for L’Oréal Groupe,” Rankin added. “We know this category had a massive hit throughout the COVID period but we are seeing it rebound across Europe, Asia and the US. Valentino Beauty has strong brand equity in those regions. It is a top ten brand in the US, which is the top international passenger demographic in Heathrow Airport.”
Poultney added: “Dufry and L’Oreal have enjoyed a close working relationship for many years, so when the Valentino makeup collection was presented to us in January 2020, we immediately started working with the L’Oréal team to find how to bring the range into our stores.
“The pandemic delayed the launch, but this gave us the opportunity to plan in more detail how we could best showcase the makeup collection in our refurbished store in Heathrow Terminal 5.”
She concluded, “We have strong partnerships with both Heathrow Airport and with L’Oréal and when we considered the best target for Valentino Beauty, it made sense to look at Terminal 5 and then at Terminal 3, where we will also be introducing the make-up range very soon.
“We are incredibly proud to be able to make such a new and exclusive cosmetic collection available to our customers. The concept and the new brand identity is very coherent and Valentino make-up will bring something very different to our make-up offer.” ✈
