BEAUTY GIANTS: SHISEIDO TRAVEL RETAIL
China will be key to Shiseido’s recovery in travel retail, says Philippe Lesné
The devastating impacts of Covid-19 felt by the global travel retail community since January cannot be ignored, but Philippe Lesné, President & CEO, Shiseido Travel Retail tells Charlotte Turner that the company has very effectively ‘adapted to survive’ during this period.
H
ow has Shiseido had to ‘adapt to survive’ during this period and what are
its long-term plans for the travel retail channel? Our first plan of action following the outbreak was to put in place a business continuity plan that prioritised the health and safety of our employees while aligning with prevailing government and health authorities’ policies. We have had to reshape our strategies, focusing on optimal cost management, a smooth transition to new ways of working and executing revised plans while constantly monitoring an ever- changing and fluid situation. With a business continuity plan in place, we shifted our focus on building resilience to prepare ourselves for the ‘new normal’ and recovery. In order to survive in this dynamic
environment, companies have to be agile and capable of adjusting their business models quickly, and digitalisation is key to building
OCTOBER 2020
this resilience and helping them adapt. At Shiseido Travel Retail, we are strengthening the consumer- centricity of our business by ramping up our digital transformation initiatives and our focus on customer experience (CX). Keeping a pulse on the consumer has helped us to pivot our marketing strategies in response to the sudden changes in consumer and buying behaviours resulting from Covid-19. Looking mid-term, our focus
remains on Asia, especially China, where we will continue to enhance profitability through further collaboration with our key retail partners. Already, the signs are encouraging – we are observing the return of domestic travellers in the country, which contributed significantly to our regional performance in the channel in the second quarter of the year. We are hopeful that the strong demand for prestige brands by the Chinese consumer and new policies such
as the enhanced offshore duty free shopping policy on Hainan Island will help to further accelerate these trends.
Those brands (and retailers) who have robust e-commerce and omni-channel solutions are faring better than those that don’t right now. What position
Above: The Nars Icons Animation Space in Haitang Bay, Sanya.
“While trading conditions were challenging, Shiseido Travel Retail’s performance in the Asia Pacific region in the second quarter of 2020 was encouraging, with consumer purchases growing in the low double-digits versus -20% globally.”
Philippe Lesné, President & CEO, Shiseido Travel Retail
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