German beauty chain Douglas, which has just opened its first store in Belgium, has grown across all segments, channels and categories in the last quarter.
Strategic decisions
Sales rose 9.7 % to more than 910 million euros in the third quarter. The company grew in all markets, but most strongly in Southern, Central and Eastern Europe. Physical store sales grew by 12.1 %, e-commerce advanced by 5.2 %. Digital business now represents 31.9 % of sales at the retailer. Profitability also improved: the operating profit margin went from 16.6 to 16.9 %.
A satisfied CEO Sander Van der Laan explained that inflation is now slowing and product availability is improving, although uncertainty remains high for consumers. Douglas has taken important strategic decisions that are paying off. A simplified omnichannel strategy is one of them: in addition to the webshop, the physical store portfolio is becoming more consistent with two concepts (“Premium” and “Luxury”) between 100 and 800 sqm. The retailer is also implementing a single e-commerce platform at group level and is standardising its logistics operations.
The retailer is also expanding into new markets: a first Belgian physical store just opened in Wijnegem (Antwerp), following the launch of a webshop in 2021.
