Promotional pressure continues at Douglas

Perfume chain Douglas reports a very successful Black Friday and strong growth for e-commerce, but saw margins under pressure in the first quarter of its split financial year due to increasing promotional pressure.

“Price promotions important”

Douglas reports sales growth of 1.7% to €1.67 billion in the period from October to December 2025. However, adjusted EBITDA fell by 5.6% to €333.7 million, representing an adjusted EBITDA margin of 19.9%. Consumers are becoming increasingly price-sensitive and cautious, which is putting pressure on demand for premium beauty products. “With consumers currently thinking twice about spending, competition has gotten tougher, and price promotions have become more important for all players in the market,” said Sander van der Laan, CEO of Douglas.