Fragrances

Keeping up appearances

Victoria Goldman reviews the fragrance and cosmetics market

Selling scents

Get ready for the Christmas rush with our guide to selling fragrance over the festive period.

Love it or loathe it, Christmas is coming and retail shelves are already groaning under the weight of innumerable gift options. For most people in the fragrance business, the festive period is the culmination of their year’s work, with the past three months being their busiest and most profitable time.

Gill Smith, managing director of The Perfume Shop, says: “Christmas is what we build up to all year; everything we do is to build up that Christmas momentum. We start the year by looking at our last Christmas period and all our learnings from it – what worked, what didn’t, and what we need to remember for next year, and from that we build up our plans for the year.”

Scenario: Hyperhidrosis

Rachel is worried about the amount her son is sweating, so she asks to speak to pharmacist Parveen about it...