Premium Magnificence Information – What have been your priorities throughout your eight years as CEO of Eurofragance?
Laurent Mercier – Once I took over the administration of Eurofragance in 2018, the corporate had a turnover of EUR 50 million, a single manufacturing web site in Spain, restricted subsidiaries, however a big export enterprise, significantly to the Center East. The problem was to construction that progress. We opted for a measured growth, concentrating on chosen key markets. It was a ‘extra with much less’ technique: producing extra enterprise with fewer dispersed initiatives. We additionally made strategic decisions, equivalent to scaling again in some areas to bolster our influence the place we had been already established.
Premium Magnificence Information – How did you construction the group?
Laurent Mercier – In 2018, we made an actual change by adopting a matrix administration mannequin. The goal was to offer extra autonomy to the areas, whereas sustaining general consistency. Our design centres in Barcelona, Mexico, Singapore, Mumbai and shortly Jakarta are on the coronary heart of this method. Every one manages its market utilizing the identical instruments and shared strategies and sources. This strategy permits us to deal with native wants whereas leveraging a worldwide construction. The result is larger effectivity, quicker responsiveness, and, above all, sustainable progress with agility.
Premium Magnificence Information – What are Eurofragance’s key markets in the present day?
Laurent Mercier – Our two historic markets, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, stay central. We have now strengthened our presence there as a result of these markets have grown significantly. In Latin America, we’re specializing in Mexico, the place we’ve a subsidiary and a creation centre. In Europe, our two main markets are Spain, our nation of origin, and Turkey.
In Asia, our precedence is Indonesia, a strategic nation the place we are going to strengthen our presence, notably with a future creation centre. Vietnam can be a fast-growing marketplace for us. As is India, in fact, the place we opened a subsidiary and a artistic centre final 12 months, and which is changing into one in all our pillars. We’re getting ready a serious industrial challenge close to Mumbai for 2026.
Premium Magnificence Information – Joan Pere Jiménez, what’s your strategic imaginative and prescient for the longer term?
Joan Pere Jiménez – I tackle the management of Eurofragance after eleven years with the corporate — first in operations, then within the discipline throughout key areas from the Center East to Asia. For the previous two years, as Chief Market Officer, I’ve been answerable for overseeing our enterprise and subsidiaries.
This transition is in keeping with the strategic plan we launched six years in the past, with two primary pillars: focused geographical growth and digital transformation. The aim is to remain deeply engaged within the discipline, working carefully with our subsidiaries to totally grasp the actual dynamics of every area and to help our clients by contemplating their markets, shoppers, and opponents.
In parallel, we’re driving a serious technological transformation to help progress, with investments in IT programs, course of digitalisation, CRM instruments, and AI. This structural challenge, already underway with a greater than EUR 10 million finances, goals to construct interconnected, high-performance programs throughout all markets — enhancing each the agility and the standard of our service.
Premium Magnificence Information – How is Eurofragance increasing globally?
Laurent Mercier – We presently have three manufacturing websites. The primary one is in Spain, our historic birthplace, which provides Europe, Africa, Turkey and the Center East. It’s our flagship web site, which was utterly modernised final 12 months following a EUR 10 million funding. We even have a web site in Mexico, which is smaller however strategic for Latin America, an space the place we plan to strengthen our capabilities. And one other in Singapore, which permits us to successfully serve Southeast Asia. As well as, we’ve two agreements with companions in China and India to provide domestically when it is smart.
We have now launched into a serious challenge in India, scheduled for early 2026. Our aim was to ascertain a second massive sourcing and manufacturing web site to enrich our primary facility in Spain, whereas India’s proximity to Dubai additionally opens the door to new alternatives.
Joan Pere Jim̩nez РIndia and Indonesia, two large and quickly rising markets, are clear priorities for us. Strengthening our presence there calls for deep shopper insights and important investments. In Indonesia, we are going to open a brand new centre in Jakarta by year-end, whereas in India we proceed to develop our current facility. Our ambition is for this web site, to surpass our European hub and develop into our largest one throughout the subsequent decade.
Premium Magnificence Information – The place does Eurofragance stand by way of turnover?
Laurent Mercier – We closed 2024 with EUR 180 million in income, up from EUR 100 million simply two and a half years earlier, marking three consecutive years of progress above 20%.
Positive fragrances stay our core enterprise. This section accounts for round 75% of our turnover, in contrast with 25% for the Residence and Private Care segments. This ratio is steady, with all three segments experiencing important progress.
All our markets contributed to this progress. In 2024, the corporate’s general progress of round 27% was shared throughout all areas.
We pay shut consideration to what we name ‘enterprise vitality’, i.e. the power to generate new income, both with new clients or with new tasks for current clients.
Premium Magnificence Information – What strengths do you depend on?
Laurent Mercier – Our mannequin is predicated at first on folks: we prepare our expertise domestically whereas immersing them in our company tradition. Secondly, we’ve constructed a real model self-discipline, with international requirements and a powerful rebranding that ensures consistency and readability throughout all our artistic centres. Lastly, service – velocity, agility, reliability – is our obsession. This extends to regulatory compliance, with a compliance group that exceeds business practices.
Joan Pere Jiménez – Service is, above all, about agility—the power to adapt rapidly in a consistently evolving market. It rests on three pillars: deep insights into buyer expectations and native dynamics; responsiveness with the capability to develop swiftly and successfully; and uncompromising high quality. By listening, anticipating tendencies, and delivering the suitable perfume profiles on the proper time, we strike a steadiness of proximity, rigor, and operational excellence that earns and sustains our clients’ belief.
Premium Magnificence Information – And by way of merchandise and applied sciences?
Laurent Mercier – We have now developed a extremely focused strategy to applied sciences utilized to each fantastic perfumery and extra purposeful purposes. For instance, we’re engaged on malodor counteraction points with our devoted EuroPure expertise platform, a key problem in house and physique care. We’re additionally exploring extra emotional dimensions with options centered on temper enhancement, i.e. the emotional influence of perfume.
So far as innovation is worried, we’ve launched three patented captive elements lately, whereas we had none earlier than. L’Âme du Bois, an authentic upcycled olfactive molecule designed to open new artistic avenues for perfumers; Verdenix, a cross-functional ingredient devoted to neutralising disagreeable odours and derived from the revalorisation of manufacturing waste from one other ingredient; and Euphorion, an artificial ingredient that acts particularly on emotional notion. A fourth captive ingredient is deliberate for the top of 2025, with a launch anticipated at Beautyworld Center East. And naturally, our elements are developed with an ecological and moral profile in thoughts.
Joan Pere Jim̩nez РR&D, expertise platforms and the creation of recent captive elements are a serious focus of funding.
Premium Magnificence Information – How are you experiencing this transition?
Laurent Mercier – Now’s the suitable time handy over the baton. The corporate is powerful, rising, and prepared for a brand new chapter. My departure was deliberate three years in the past, giving us time to make sure a seamless succession with Joan Pere, a long-standing colleague. I’ll stay with the group as a Board member, specializing in innovation and elements—areas particularly near my coronary heart.
Joan Pere Jiménez – The transition is unfolding easily, with out disruption. My precedence is to hold ahead the present technique whereas safeguarding what defines Eurofragance’s DNA: a household enterprise powered by ardour, efficiency, and a dedication to sustainable growth.
