[Interview] “Selective distribution, own-brand shops and online sales form a single ecosystem” (Franck Besnard, Estée Lauder)

With demanding consumers and increasing competition, the bar is being set ever higher in the beauty market. Young shoppers, too, are willing to pay for luxury brands that get their “storytelling” right, according to the Estée Lauder group, which is also focusing on its own-brand shops.

Significant presence in Belgium

Brands belonging to the Estée Lauder Group are set to open several new shops soon, including in Antwerp and Amsterdam. Own-brand retail is a key pillar of the American cosmetics group’s strategy, particularly now that the arrival of Douglas and Sephora in the Benelux is shaking up the cosmetics market considerably, says Franck Besnard, who merged the group’s operations in France and the Benelux and is now also general manager for Northern and Western Europe. The CEO has been with the company for 23 years and lived in Brussels for several years, where, in his spare time, he was, amongst other things, a coach at Boisfort Rugby Club. Suffice to say, he knows the local market well.