The Douglas Group, Europe’s number-one omnichannel premium beauty retailer, completed the second quarter of the financial year 2024/25 with a slight decline in sales while at the same time significantly improving its net income. Rising global economic and political uncertainties increasingly impacted the premium beauty sector since the beginning of the year, resulting in lower footfall and fewer online visits.Douglas revealed a 2% decline in group sales and a decrease in adjusted EBITDA from €145.9 million ($163.2 million) to €122.4 million ($136.9 million). Despite these challenges, the company improved its net income from a loss of €41 million ($45.9 million) to €19 million ($21.3 million).Group CEO Sander Van der Laan emphasized the company’s commitment to growth and expansion: “The second quarter of 2024/25 was characterized by external factors that contributed to a heightened volatility in macroeconomic conditions and consumer behavior. We have responded decisively to the slowdown in the customer sentiment by initiating several measures to stabilize sales and to safeguard profitability. We are confident in our positioning and long-term strategy.”Regional and Channel PerformanceCentral Eastern Europe (CEE) remained the growth engine, with Q2 sales up 7.6%, and H1 sales up 11.1%.Southern Europe saw modest growth, while DACHNL (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium) and France experienced declines due to weaker consumer sentiment.Store sales were stable in Q2 (-0.1%), supported by new openings, while e-commerce sales declined by 5.6% (or -2.6% excluding Disapo). In CEE, online sales grew by 14.6%.