Winds of change

launch analysis

Amanda Pauley

In the heart of Notting Hill, London, French skincare brand Decléor is set to open its first boutique salon in late May. The flagship, which will be situated on Westbourne Grove, is the latest move in a series forming the company’s “reawakening”, which began last year with the relaunch of the brand, focusing on its heritage of aromatherapy and essential oils.

“We’ve been growing at a really strong pace, with lots of new business, so we thought this would be the best immersive experience we could give our customers,” says Sarah Power, Decléor’s general manager. “Having a flagship is a perfect iteration of what good looks likes for our brand.” But the boutique is more than a sign of the brand’s ongoing success, it is set to become a hub where professional treatments will be trialled and tweaked before being rolled out to salons and spas.

Testing ground

“It’s always good to have a test bed to trial the different concepts we launch. The flagship will be where we focus on widening our menu and creating treatments and products that are financially viable for us and our customers,” explains Power. “It will also allow us to increase our connection with consumers and feed that back into the brand, which is priceless.”

Some treatments currently under development are already set to be trialled there. These will focus on particular consumer profiles, which have been outlined as “the superwoman”, “the Portobello walker” and the “lunch and glow” client. Power says that if the treatments designed to fit these profiles are successful, they will be rolled out to the company’s wider network.

The 1,205sq ft boutique will be split across two floors, with the upstairs mainly a large retail space featuring a centrepiece that will house the brand’s different Aromessences. There will also be express treatment chairs where busy customers can experience a pick-me-up in the form of three new 15-minute treatments on a Face Shots menu – the Brow and Eye Lift, Cheek and Jaw Contour, and Jaw and Neck Sculpt.

AT A GLANCE

Opening: late May

Size: 1,205sq ft

Treatment rooms: Three

Staff: Four full-time therapists

Mirror effect

While the therapist conducts the treatment, showing the client how to use the products and perform the moves themselves, a smart mirror will record the process and email it to the customer once the session is over. “We took inspiration from the YouTube generation and the explosion of make-up tutorials, using a digital mirror to create a home spa tutorial that’s personalised to the customer,” says Power. “There’s an art to the application of professional skincare products and we wanted to share that knowledge.”

Future thinking

The boutique also comprises three treatment rooms – a Recharge Hub on the first floor where clients can experience 30-minute “mini skin miracle” treatments, which Power says will be “perfect for those who don’t have the time for a full treatment”; and two on the ground floor in a quiet spa environment, “which have a complete disconnection from the outside world,” she adds.

Power hopes the boutique will result in treatment innovation and greater awareness of the brand’s professional heritage, and, if things go well, it could lead to further expansion: “If the boutique is successful then we would look to roll out more, but that’s all to be confirmed after we open the doors on this one,” she says.