Pola Orbis Holdings today announced the creation of a new entity wholly dedicated to the travel retail channel.
Pola Orbis Travel Retail Limited will be based in Hong Kong, operating as a consolidated subsidiary to manage the group’s travel retail business.
Pola Orbis Holdings said: “While the travel retail market is currently experiencing difficult conditions in all regions due to a significant reduction in international flights, the China duty free market continues to grow strongly.
“It is also an important channel for future overseas growth strategies, as it is expected to grow again once COVID-19 subsides.
“In the travel retail market, which is extremely important for future growth, the Pola Orbis Group brands such as Pola, Jurlique and Three have joined forces to speed up business expansion by integrating resources and strengths in the travel retail business, which have been developed separately by the individual companies [in the past].
“We will establish a sales company specialised in travel retail business in Hong Kong to handle all of our group brands.”
The new entity will be established on 4 January and is expected to start trading in April.
Yoshikazu Yokote has been appointed Director and CEO. Well-known travel retail and beauty sector figures Benoît Wagner and Mengfuan Tan are named Chief Operating Officer and Travel Retail Director, respectively.
Yokote has enjoyed a stellar career with the Japanese beauty house. He joined the group in 1990 and has held numerous senior positions in the intervening years. In 2020 he was named Director in charge of Group International Business and General Manager of International Business Management Division.
Comment: Pola Orbis Holdings Group celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2019, a landmark that saw the company adopt a newly outward-looking perspective as it sought to extend its international horizons, writes Martin Moodie.
Today’s announcement of a dedicated travel retail unit is a critical expression of that mission – and a welcome statement of faith in the channel.
Last year The Moodie Davitt Report Beauty and Social Media Editor Hannah Tan-Gillies and I sat down with Pola Orbis Holdings Group Director and Vice President Naoki Kume at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes, together with then-Jurlique International Markets Managing Director Benoît Wagner. It was the group’s first visit to the Cannes show, testament to a renewed commitment to the channel. Click here to read the outcome.
