L'Oréal Seeks More Emerging Consumers with New Travel Retail Division

The L’Oréal Group announced it is creating a group travel retail division. The new division will include the L’Oréal Luxe brands, as well as brands from the other divisions: active cosmetics, professional products, consumer products and The Body Shop.

L’Oréal is aiming to win over a billion new consumers with its universalization strategy, which seeks to meet the diverse beauty needs of men and women around the world. Travel retail, which represents all products sold in the travel distribution channel (airports, airlines, ferries, cruises, downtown duty-free shops, etc.), plays an essential role in this strategy as it is a dynamic market. The democratization of travel, especially in emerging countries, has lead to an increased number of travelers and thus consumers who today are searching in this channel for a full selection of products that correspond to their beauty aspirations, whatever their nationalities, beauty rituals or purchasing power.

Jean-Paul Agon, chairman and CEO of the L’Oréal Group, said, "Travel retail is a key channel for winning over one billion new consumers. This market, present around the world, could be considered as a 'sixth continent.' L’Oréal already has extensive expertise and strong relationships with client-retailers, and has high ambition for the future of the channel.”

Barbara Lavernos, managing director of L’Oréal Group travel retail, will head the group travel retail division worldwide, and will report to Nicolas Hieronimus, president of selective divisions.

For Hieronimus, “The creation of the new group travel retail division demonstrates our confidence in the huge potential of this channel. From now on, all of the group's major brands will have the opportunity to develop on this ‘sixth continent.'"

A leader in the travel retail market since the 1960s, L’Oréal Luxe is a world leader in the sector. The consumer products division has also taken an important position thanks to the L’Oréal Paris brand.

The division will be based in the Paris suburb of Levallois.

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