Two of the world’s biggest airport retailers, Dufry and Heinemann, have ratcheted their beauty credentials up a notch. In the case of Dufry, it has secured the contract for perfumery and cosmetics at Chongqing International Airport in China, while Heinemann has taken the plunge and developed its own beauty line.
Dufry’s duty-paid contract is for five years at what is currently the fourth busiest airport in China with 35.8 million passengers in 2021. The gateway was ninth before the pandemic in 2019 (with 44.8 million passengers), but the return of internal travel—but not international—has propelled the mainly domestic airport in Western China up the rankings.
The deal extends Dufry’s mainland China footprint, which includes stores in Chengdu, Macau, and Shanghai. It allows Dufry to operate five individual branded boutiques in Terminal 3A airside for Chanel, Lancôme, Estée Lauder, Guerlain, and Shiseido, plus a multi-brand fragrance store on the landside. The total retail space occupied will be about 5,450 square feet.
In the half year to June, Dufry saw sales soar versus 2021 to top $3 billion. Of this, beauty generated 28%, down from a share of 31% in 2019 pre-pandemic. The contract win at Chongqing may go some way to redress the slide.
Taking ownership of functional fragrances
Meanwhile in Germany, Gebr. Heinemann's new ventures incubator Gharage has launched its own brand called Nullpunkt Functional Fragrances. The aim is to open up new channels and reach new target groups.
The premium brand, set within the well-being and mindfulness segment, is “closing a gap in the trending and niche market of functional fragrances,” said the retailer in a statement.
Nullpunkt (which means zero point) has launched with four fragrances that are available in the brand´s own webshop and that will also be introduced into select Heinemann shops at airports worldwide.
Amanda Mai Khuong-Duc, who is in charge of the Nullpunkt project, said, “Our functional fragrances are not only meant to have a pleasant scent, but also to support people in achieving a balanced state of mind. The four grades 0.1 Relieve, 0.2 Release, 0.3 Refocus and 0.4 Refuel are olfactory helpers for the phenomena of stress, anxiety, lack of concentration and fatigue. Applied situationally, 0.1 and 0.2 have a calming, grounding effect and 0.3 and 0.4 have an energising, refreshing effect. Combined with jojoba oil, they also flatter the skin.”
A fit for travelers
Lennard Niemann, Managing Director of Gharage, added, “Research shows that consumers’ needs for well-being and mindfulness are constantly growing and functional fragrances perfectly serves these needs. Nullpunkt is a great fit for travelers who often find themselves in stressful and tired situations.”
The new brand combines knowledge from aromatherapy with expertise in making complex fragrances. Gharage incubated the start-up from ideation to concept in Hamburg and developed the fragrances with French perfumer Marie Urban Le Febvre in her lab in Berlin.
The ingredients of the 100% vegan fragrances are natural, the bottles recyclable, and the packaging uses FSC-certified material. The suppliers are German companies with sustainable supply chains, and certification for Natrue, the international seal for natural cosmetics, is under way.
