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Rituals Cosmetics sets sights on ME growth, opens new store in Dubai Mall
Dubai - Rituals Cosmetics plans to open 10 new stores in the ME region in 2021
Rituals Cosmetics has announced a steady growth strategy across the UAE and Middle East region, in tandem with its expansion across the European markets.
The mind and body care brand recently opened its highly anticipated store in Dubai Mall. Raymond Cloosterman, founder and CEO of Rituals Cosmetics, launched the brand 20 years ago in Amsterdam. Speaking to Khaleej Times after the new store opening in Dubai Mall, he highlighted plans for the region and how the brand’s philosophy had resonated with customers.
“We are very proud to be in Dubai Mall,” he said. “The store is in a fantastic location and really allows for us to make a statement with our brand. We are present in the Middle East region with 25 stores now, and the plan is to build it up to 100 stores over the next five years. The brand has traction now and we are happy to grow aggressively; there are several locations where we would love to be in the next few years. In general, we open two stores every week somewhere in the world.”
At the moment, he noted that the brand is pretty much seen as a European brand. “We are the fastest growing beauty brand in Europe, opening around 100 stores every year. Currently, we have a global network of 850 stores, and we are present in all the luxury department stores.”
Around five years ago, the brand started working with the Apparel Group for its entry into the middle East market.
“The anchor for our brand is to help people enjoy the little things in life,” Cloosterman stated. “The brand promises to change every day routines into small and more meaningful rituals – and this is where our name comes in. We take our inspiration from Asian cultures - ancient stories from Asia - and we develop beautiful product lines around them. We work with the very best perfumers in the world to develop products for you and your home.”
Speaking about how the brand’s popularity with shoppers, he said that the brand’s success could be attributed to its philosophy being ‘spot on’ with the needs of the hour. “The brand is built around mindfulness, which really wasn’t a thing over 20 years ago, so you can say that we were early to the market. However, today mindfulness is a trend that is dominating the market. In addition, the quality of our products and the value for money that we offer has helped us build a loyal customer base that keeps coming back for more.”
Another key trend that Cloosterman highlighted was the shift towards bespoke products. Towards this end, he created a new startup called House of Rituals in Amsterdam. The concept is spread out over four floors, and features a restaurant, mind spa, and a creation counter where customers can create their own fragrances and shampoos. “We wanted to get ourselves out of our comfort zone and reinvent the brand. We are evolving from mindfulness to soulfulness. Hopefully, we will expand this concept to other key regions including the Middle East in a few years.”
For now, the brand is focused on strengthening its presence. “We like to be inspired from different parts of the world. We just opened in Festival City in Doha and in Kuwait; and we plan to open 10 stores in the region in 2021, of which five will be in KSA.”
rohma@khaleejtimes.com
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