Many people strive to be the first. Whatever they do, wherever they are. Pierre Feyard, general manager of the Sephora network in the Middle East, and in particular in the UAE, also seems to be from the category of pioneers.
It is not enough for him to simply bring the brand entrusted to him "into a given orbit." The palm does not allow him to sleep peacefully, to which, in general, nothing at all. In his very busy schedule ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Adha, Christmas and New Year holidays, Pierre took half an hour to answer questions that interest our Russian readers and buyers of high-quality French cosmetics and perfumes.
- Pierre, the first Sephora store was opened in Dubai just last March, but has already gained a lot of fans. We know that the brand is not going to stop there. Tell me what's next?
- First, I will dwell on the history of the Sephora brand in the Middle East. I have been working at Sephora for ten years. Prior to that, he worked at Sephora in France and a little later in London for about three years. Once, we decided to try our hand in the Middle East, paying attention to Dubai. The local market attracted by the fact that it was rapidly developing and developing, thereby giving great potential for our brand. I personally first came to Dubai in 2006.
A little later, the first Sephora store was opened. I was helped by people who came with me from Europe, and those whom we hired already here. Today, the company’s office in Jebel Ali employs twelve people who are responsible for all work in the UAE. To my great joy, our partners are the Chalhoub Group, although many rich and famous people called me, even a princess from one of the ruling families in the region. They all said that they have money and wanted to become partners in our business in the Middle East. Interest in the Sephora brand was extremely high. However, we opted for the Chalhoub Group, since the owners of the group, Patrick and Inji Chalhoub, were pioneers of fashion in the Middle East and the UAE, and perfectly understood all our intentions and our goals. Today we work in complete understanding, since it is very important for us that our customers immediately get inspired by the Sephora philosophy and that the market reacts to what we offer as soon as possible. Our first priority was not quantity, but quality. We wanted our customers to feel the freedom and true Parisian chic in our stores.
- Pierre, but after all, the Sephpora brand came to the Emirates when other perfumery and cosmetics networks such as Paris Gallery, Areej, Faces worked for a long time and successfully here. What sets Sephora apart from them?
- We did not come here to become the next retailer of perfumes and cosmetics. We offer a completely different concept and completely new brands, many of which can only be found on our network in Europe, and now here in the Middle East. Today we own 1000 stores in 23 countries. In addition to our first store in the Dubai Festival City shopping center, today we have 11 stores in the region: Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (and 7 more are planned to open by the end of this year), we also open our new flagship store Sephora in Dubai Mall, which will differ from all existing ones both in its size and in the concept of external and internal design. For the first time in the history of Sephora, the entrance to the store will not be black and white, but gold.
I must say that the black-and-white signature range will be preserved in the mosaic of floors, in columns, but the area of the new store will be several times larger than the existing one. The new Sephora store will be located on the ground floor of the Dubai Mall between the giant aquarium and high-fashion galleries, which will house Chanel, Lacroix, Etoile and others. And these plans are just the tip of the iceberg. Our goal is to become the leading network in the world. And we will be the first. I am convinced of this, all our employees clearly know this, no matter where in the world they work.
- Where such confidence?
- I believe that we can do it. Yes, and the market today is very tough and competitive. Of course, to achieve this goal, we may have to spend not two or three years, but five or all ten, but we will become leaders, this is undoubtedly.
- Do not you think that the market is already oversaturated with cosmetic and perfumery products? Well, how much can an average woman put on cosmetics? Of course, I do not take the East as an example, where decorative cosmetics and incense are treated with great reverence, but still ... .
- It may be so, but the power of Sephora is in concept. And the majority of Sephora buyers in the Middle East are those who constantly visit our company stores in Nice, Cannes, and Paris. And you can’t imagine the number of buyers from the Middle East region who visit us at the Champs Elysees annually from July to September. Many products sold by us are natural cosmetics made on the basis of essential oils, extracts of rare plants, using the most advanced technologies. Many lines exclusively presented at Sephora are used by the world's leading spa salons or are made specifically for sale with us. Our first Dubai store in Dubai Festival City has a salesperson who flew here from Paris, so she says she meets our regular customers in Dubai who were in the store on the Champs Elysees. Is this not an indicator? This year, we began to present cosmetics, the first ever UAE local brand of Shiffa SPA products, which was developed by a female doctor, citizen of the Emirates.
- If you draw a parallel with food, is Sephora a network in which the so-called organic or natural products are presented?
“Not all, but most.” And this is another of the distinguishing features of Sephora. Every year we produce a variety of lines of our own products - from hair shampoos and skin care products to decorative cosmetics, the quality of which is excellent. More than 30 professional dermatologists and cosmetologists work for the Sephora brand in France alone, ensuring that each of our products uses the latest scientific achievements. This is evidenced by the large sales of eyeshadow, makeup, powder, lipstick and lip gloss found in this region, where in summer the air temperature exceeds + 45 ° C, and a fairly high level of humidity is maintained throughout the year. Our cosmetics do not melt, do not flow, do not roll. It allows the skin to breathe, and women feel "at 100" all day.
I will cite a recent case as an example. When we just released the smoky eyes makeup eye shadow palettes, and the sellers put the novelty on the shelves, a customer came to us, who later turned out to come to Dubai from Kuwait. So she immediately bought 24 sets of these shadows, as she had heard about excellent quality from a friend who had already bought a novelty in Paris.
Another important point. Once I asked a customer in Saudi Arabia why she chose Sephora, she replied: “Because we are free here. We can try any product before we purchase it. We can spend as much time in the store as we want, and no one tells us he won’t say. We can put on a full make-up, play with flowers, and choose a word the way we want. "
- Should we expect that in the new Sephora store, which will open in the shopping giant Dubai Mall, there will appear lines of funds that have never been exhibited before?
- Of course, and this is one of the secrets of the company. We will present in the Middle East, in our new “golden” Dubai Sephora store, new brands of natural cosmetics, unique perfumery products. In addition, an express Spa will operate in the new store, where professional cosmetologists will present the entire range of Shiffa products. By the way, next year, Sephora will exclusively present the Emirate brand Shiffa to the European public. Most likely, this will happen in our company store on the Champs Elysees. And then, let's go to the USA and other countries of the world.
- Wow! But, as they said in the Soviet Union, "cadres decide everything." To succeed, it’s essential that people at Sephora, just as you believe in the brand concept. Is not it?
- Exactly. And so we select and train staff very carefully. In each country, it is very important for us that among our employees there are also local residents who are well aware of the mentality of their fellow citizens, who know how and how to help them. The manager of the Sephora store in Saudi Arabia hails from this country, the manager in Bahrain is also a local native, in Russia he is a citizen of Russia. This is what allows us to find common points of the brand with new customers, a new country. Moreover, at Sephora we want to become an integrated part of the economies of the countries in which we operate. We do not set ourselves the goal of coming to a new market, making a profit from sales and transferring it to France. No, we actively participate in charity programs, and our employees, moving from country to country for various reasons, get jobs in network stores around the world. I also always pay attention to the fact that a person is not indifferent. If there is no light in the eyes of the seller, he will not be able to entice the buyer.
- You mentioned that before the end of this year you will open seven more Sephora stores. How many of them will be in Dubai?
- Two - in Dubai Mall and Marina Mall, another store will be opened in Kuwait (and then there will be 24 countries where we work). Yes, and there’s nothing for you to do. Already today we are the No. 1 perfumery and cosmetics network in France, we are in the top three in the countries of Europe and the USA, and, I hope, we will become leaders in Russia and in the countries of the Middle East region in the near future.
- Well, we wish you good luck in achieving your goal.
Interviewed by Elena Olkhovskaya
