The acquisition was signed in March and has since met all closing conditions, so is officially completed. Douglas has taken control of the entire Bodybell business, which comprises 223 perfumeries, two online stores, a logistics platform, a wholesale business and a cash-and-carry unit.
Omnichannel boost
With its existing stores in the country, Douglas now operates a network of 280 stores in Spain. The company says the move will especially boost its omnichannel profile.
“With attractive assortments and an outstanding customer service across all channels, our offline and online stores will soon become a ‘first stop shop’ for perfumery and cosmetics in Spain – as they already are in many other markets”, said Isabelle Parize, CEO of Douglas.
Omnichannel approaches have fast become an essential structure for beauty brands, with players big and small all keen to boost their digital offerings both online, across marketing and app platforms, and in-store.
Research by Imogen Matthews Associates (IMA) found last year, for example, that a seamless user journey for consumers engaging with brands is now important, and beauty needs to catch and keep up.
“The beauty industry has some catching up to do in the area of omnichannel, not least in understanding that every part of a brand’s business needs to be connected. Consumers expect to move seamlessly between different channels and will abandon brands that don’t offer that experience,” Matthews explained.
Improving customer service
Douglas states that the acquisition is intended to help bolster its customer experience in Spain, as it brings over practices from its wider European business to Spain.
“Douglas will focus on improving customer experience for the combined business by transferring proven concepts from other European markets to Spain, such as its successful private label product range ‘Douglas Collection’,” it confirms.
“To fully leverage its strong international retail brand, Douglas will also rebrand the acquired stores to Douglas and invest into renovations. Moreover, by integrating the online shops with the brick and mortar business, Douglas will work to offer state-of-the-art omnichannel shopping to the Spanish customers.”