Douglas partners with IBMG

Beauty retailer Douglas and Indie Beauty Media Group (IBMG), the producer of Indie Beauty Expo, have teamed up to support independent brands and promote entrepreneurship in the beauty sector across Europe.

The multifaceted partnership will see IBMG help Douglas source and introduce independent beauty brands in a variety of categories. In return, independent beauty brands will get a chance to be discovered by customers in 2,400 Douglas stores in 21 European countries.

Meanwhile, Douglas will become the official retail sponsor of the Indie Beauty Expo (IBE) Berlin 2019, which is scheduled to take place on 22-23 March at Station Berlin. With this sponsorship, Douglas underscores its ambition to invest more in independent cosmetics brands.

Additionally, Douglas will sponsor the launch of a German-language version of Beauty Independent, a digital publication dedicated to the beauty business. The German version will provide greater coverage of European independent and emerging beauty while becoming more readily accessible to the 100 million German-speaking European audience.

Tina Müller, CEO of the Douglas Group, will be the the keynote speaker at the BeautyX Retail summit in Dallas, Texas, taking place on 13-14 May, to highlight Douglas’ commitment to the community.

“Independent beauty is a strategically important area for Douglas, and we want to earn our place as the instinctive retailer-of-choice for independent brands entering or expanding in Europe,” said Tina Mueller, CEO of Douglas Group. “We also recognize that beauty entrepreneurs are the real driving force behind independent beauty, which is why we also want to directly connect with innovators, so that we can earn their trust and respect.”

Christoph Honnefelder, EVP Assortment & Purchasing at Douglas, added: “Through this partnership, we gain access to the latest independent innovations via IBMG’s trade shows and a channel to beauty entrepreneurs via IBMG’s content platform. Finally, operationally, we will leverage IBMG’s retail advisory services to source and onboard brands quickly and in meaningful quantities.”

Douglas is IBMG’s second European retail partner and fourth worldwide. The company has also retail partnerships with Neiman Marcus, Feelunique and Brooklyn-based Shen Beauty.

With over 2,400 stores and fast-growing online shops in 21 European countries, Douglas is one of Europe’s leading retailers. In financial year 2017/18, the company generated sales of 3.3bn euros.

Douglas partners with IBMG

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