Celine’s Haute Parfumerie Launch at Harrods Is a Sign of Strong Business
LONDON — Celine has launched its specialized Haute Parfumerie space at Harrods in Knightsbridge.
On the ground floor in the beauty hall, Celine’s counter sits brightly lit in its golden light reflecting off of the perfume glass and monochrome interiors stocking fragrances, candles, soaps, as well as accessories to compliment the items, from a small perfume bottle chain necklace to a Celine candle trimmer to hair accessories.
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The gilded counter is in a luxury position in the hall, sitting side by side with Le Labo and Hermès.
The interior is an ode to Celine’s Haute Parfumerie space at Le Bon Marché in Paris with the gold engraved Celine logo and mirror fixtures with oak columns.
The fragrances on display are separated into two categories: day and night, with each scent containing powdery notes that are near and dear to creative director Hedi Slimane’s memories.
Celine also occupies a corner on the store’s first floor, which consists of luxury womenswear brands only. The medium-size space only stocks womenswear and, according to industry sources, its performance matches that of other LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and Kering brands.
Last month, Celine took over a wide window display facing the road and an in-store pop-up on the ground floor for its summer Plein Soleil capsule collection, which was inspired by the French Riviera and Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
“Celine is synonymous with understated elegance, and we are honored to host the brand for their inaugural London pop-up, a rare and sought-after experience by Hedi Slimane,” said Josie Gardner, head of accessories at Harrods.
The capsule features Celine monogrammed deck chairs, hammock, wooden fans and a small racket set with a harness.
According to WeArisma, the data analytics company that measures the marketing power of online influencers and celebrities in fashion, beauty, luxury and travel, Celine’s media value stands at $302.8 million for the last six months.
In March, Celine saw a rise in its media value to $118.7 million; meanwhile, its engagement rate went up by 8.6 percent. This rise was attributed to content, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, featuring Harper’s Bazaar Singapore’s story on Blackpink singer and Celine’s global ambassador Lisa wearing the brand, as well as BTS boy band member V wearing Celine for the cover of Elle Korea.
Last year, Harrods was back in the black for the year ending Jan. 29, according to figures released on Companies House. The luxury retail department store reported a profit of 41.7 million pounds after tax, compared to the 57.3 million pound loss in the prior year due to COVID-19 and Brexit.
Sales surged by 35.5 percent to 581.9 million pounds despite the store being closed for 10 weeks between January and April 2021. However, the ease of lockdown returned Harrod’s core customers and international visitors, especially from the Middle East.
The company’s transactional revenue in the period was 1.56 billion pounds, up 42.6 percent compared to the previous period’s 1.09 billion pounds.
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