by MILAN – Italian department store Rinascente has upped its beauty game by launching an initiative called Beauty Fair.
Running until March 11, the project will involve established and indie brands across the makeup, skincare and fragrance categories staging pop-ups to present their latest collections, limited edition or customizable products as well like in-store experiences, free treatments and customer masterclasses.
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The format was implemented in Rinascente’s flagship in Milan, at its Roma Tritone location and in its store in Turin.
In Milan it was set up on the sixth floor traditionally dedicated to home collections, thus temporarily adding another space for beauty to its current presence on the ground floor and the Beauty Bar area in the adjacent Annex store.
“The main goal was to attract a large number of local customers and provide them with additional content and a different level of experience,” said Giuseppe D’Amato, Rinascente’s director of purchasing and merchandising, on Tuesday.
“At first, we launched projects related to town life [in this space] but since last year we have been experimenting with product categories that are not normally displayed here,” he said.
Betting on beauty came naturally as the category’s sales are taking a toll on Italy’s nine-point retailer network. Rinascente hit the 1 billion euro sales mark last year, reporting a 16 percent increase compared to 2022 and a 14 percent growth over its record year in 2019. Sales grew in all merchandise categories, with a particular focus on luxury and beauty accessories , which climbed 28 percent. and 30 percent, respectively.
“In this store, beauty sales represent more than 12 percent of the total revenue, and we expect this figure to rise more and more,” D’Amato said of the Milan flagship, which is a unit jewel-in-the-cown Rinascente thanks. to its strategic location overlooking the city’s Duomo cathedral.
“This is one of our top locations, followed by Roma Tritone, but all stores are reporting growth….Beauty sales specifically increased by double digits at all of our stores. We have reached a level of offering that is very interesting and unique in Italy, in terms of the catalog and the exclusivity of the brands,” said D’Amato.
In the Milan Beauty Fair project, YSL Beauty established one of the largest pop-ups, which installed its first Innovation Lab in the country with a focus on technological devices, as well as showcasing its makeup and fragrance offer.
The Estée Lauder, La Mer and Bobbi Brown stage booths were full of booths for skincare treatments and makeup stations. By booking on the Rinascente website, customers can access free services and beauty consultation. These include masterclass sessions to learn skincare products and techniques from an Estée Lauder expert; an exclusive treatment focusing on cellular renewal and based on the Crème de La Mer moisturizing cream, and free Seasonal Color Analysis sessions with Bobbi Brown makeup artists.
Coming in red, the Shiseido kiosk also offered customized makeup sessions and skin analysis on online booking, while Acqua di Parma bet big on personalization, offering special engravings on perfume bottles, embroidery on the brand’s home collection and custom decorations on product packaging.
From a niche perspective, Amouge has put in a pop-up to celebrate its 40th anniversary, also showcasing the fragrances launched to commemorate the milestone called “Dia” and “Jubilation”. In terms of experience, a series of events called “Meet the Brand” will be held to enable customers to discover more about the brand and the ingredients behind the formulations.
Amouge is distributed in Italy by Olfattorio, whose links with Rinascente trace back to 2011 and are now further strengthened with Bar à Parfums showcasing artisan fragrances from the likes of Caron, Goutal, BDK Parfums, Akro, Maison Crivelli and Ellis Faas, for example. a few.
Spanish beauty brand Natura Bissé is among the brands that will be held in Italy as part of Rinascente’s exclusive range. On either side of the counter is an attractive inflatable “bubble” that acts as a cabin for beauty treatments.
D’Amato said the experiential aspect of the promotion is the main motivation, as all the slots “are already fully booked for the whole month, and for most of the brands there are even waiting lists for access get them.”
“So, going forward, we see ourselves acting more and more as a content box. There will be counters with exclusive products and merchandise but we also feel that we have a responsibility to both our existing and new customers to offer something more, whether it’s an experience or a new label to discover,” said D’Amato .
“We see our future undoubtedly tied to this aspect of entertainment, so we continue our overall strategy of operating as a media company, where we provide additional spaces for brands to express themselves,” he continued. “Our goal is to have at least two multi-category projects per year and work on monthly takeovers, also by brand,” D’Amato said, referring to Rinascente’s recent holiday season activities for example. As reported, for the event the Milan flagship hosted the Chanel Wonderland concept, the most extensive takeover ever staged by the retailer as it stretched across floors, store windows, facades and arcades.
The retailer also continues to look at indie beauty brands, which are particularly highlighted in the Beauty Fair formats installed in the Roma Tritone and Turin units.
In Rome, the initiative is set on the basement floor and includes corners of companies such as Appealskin, Eterea, Fler, Manucurist and Sobea, as well as a multi-brand space displaying the likes of Barberino’s, Espressoh, GHD and Paula’s Choice, among others. Olaplex, Nabla, Alkemy, Bigoodino and Coisteal Beauty are among the labels seen in the Turin store.
“But more than location-based, our scouting process spans generations,” said D’Amato. “We are very consistent about established names and exclusives. For emerging brands, we rely on what happens online, with names emerging because they are launched by local celebrities or offer content or values that attract the attention of new generations, such as sustainability.”
“We launched the Beauty Bar here in the Annex for this reason, and then rolled it out to all our other stores … because the customer response was immediate and overwhelming. At first it was popular with Gen Z, but today it appeals to the entire beauty audience,” he concluded.
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