Agence de Parfum launches visionary new retail concept with Myer and David Jones.
Agence de Parfum has undergone a deluxe redesign for the company’s flagship department store spaces in its Myer and David Jones Sydney city stores with a visionary retail concept that marks a major milestone in the personalisation of niche fragrances within Australian department stores.
Representing new thinking for instore display, the independent distributor is driving disruption in niche perfume retailing design, with the investment in the new counters an indication of Agence de Parfum’s commitment to both Myer and David Jones and its anticipation of a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship.
Developed in collaboration with the stores, the latest niche model is the result of a lengthy research and planning process between the niche distributor and the retail giants, resulting in an approach to merchandising self-select niche fragrance which moves away from the traditional gondola point of sale to marble and branded counters and fixtures.
Agence de Parfum founder and director Nick Smart says the new counters have been designed to give customers a unique experience, providing an opportunity to touch, smell and sample the vast range of niche fragrances available – something that is not available with direct online sales.
“Our strategy for our new counters is not one size fits all. We will continue to evolve the store experience as we test and learn in order to meet the needs of our customers in the ever-changing retail landscape,” he says.
Breaking away from the traditional department store generic wall-based centric layout format, the Agence de Parfum concept features open plan spaces, designed to entice consumers to stop, then linger and then encourage them to trial the scents and enable greater interaction between them and the in-store teams.
In Myer Sydney, the Galerie de Parfum counter is positioned next to Jo Malone with the space including a double Penhaligon’s personalised wall bay and the Southern Hemisphere’s first L’Artisan Parfumeur branded counter together with dedicated fixtures for Lubin, Robert Piguet, Floris, P Frapin & Cie, Lalique, Juliette has a Gun and Costume National.
Similarly, the Australian flagship Creed and newly installed Amouage exclusive counters in David Jones Sydney represent the first branded niche counters in the Australian market.
The niche business within David Jones continues to be strong season after season with strong customer loyalty to niche perfumery. Sales growth has exceeded double-digit growth in both David Jones and Myer since the implementation of the new branded spaces, with the latest figures a testament to the new personalised design concept. It is on the back of these strong growth results that further plans for new installations are planned across other stores nationally.
As part of the niche process and to ensure clients receive a truly personalised experience, both stores offer personal master classes where guests are invited to experience the latest releases, learn about the rich history of the houses and familiarise themselves with the Fragrances of the World Perfume Wheel concept and its role in exploring new and unusual scents.