Estée Lauder Companies President UK & Ireland, Chris Good told beauty insiders at a CEW event last week the service a beauty advisor gives to customers in store is essential to the company’s success.
He said: “The UK is the second largest market worldwide for us. We’ve been successful here for many years and what remains core is the performance of the beauty advisor. Beauty advisors are integral to the business we’re in.”
During the interview Good explained that a number of those working at Estée Lauder Companies HQ started out on the shop floor and the industry should do more to promote the career opportunities available to retail staff.
He added: “The company is all about getting in the field and being at one with beauty advisors on the shop floor”. Estee Lauder Companies hires over 10,000 sales assistants in the UK alone and Good said he believes this role is one of the toughest in the business.
He predicts that we will see the rise of the male grooming category with the new ‘spornosexual’ male consumer making it a key beauty trend. Good said: “These are social media savvy men who enjoy going to the gym, taking selfies and looking after their appearance.” He believes the UK beauty market will continue to develop new and exciting male beauty products to feed this trend.
In terms of trends within the global beauty industry, Good explained there has been a huge shift in recent years due to the fact the whole world is so closely connected. For example, what happens in one part of the world can affect the market on a global scale because modern consumers are very aware of worldwide current afffairs. Equally, today’s fast-moving digital age means a beauty brand can become a global sensation overnight.