Douglas wants to offer fashion

Perfumery chain Douglas wants to further expand its online business by launching an online marketplace. The company won’t stick to perfumes and make-up, it also wants to offer fashion through this platform.

That’s what Tina Mueller, CEO at Douglas, said at an event from the Duesseldorf Wirtschaftspublizistischen Vereinigung where journalists meet with leaders of industry. “This year, we want to open our own online marketplace”, she said, explaining how at the end of the year, Douglas could also include partners that offer fashion or accessories. “We have customers who spend a lot of money on beautiful things.”

Douglas: fashion and beauty products

For some it might be a somewhat surprising move, perfumery chain Douglas that starts selling fashion. But on the other hand, isn’t that wat Zalando did, but then the other way around? The fashion company is now selling its own beauty products in Sweden and Denmark, after which France, Belgium and Italy will soon follow. These are all steps taken by retailers who want to keep their customers with them, because someone who buys a dress might be interested in buying some lipstick as well.

Mueller wants to significantly increase Douglas’ sales online, Reuters writes. Last year, the company’s online revenues were worth 423 million euros and for this year, they should increase to about half a billion euros, the CEO says. In the first quarter of the current financial year, the digital business increased by 36.9 percent.

Offline and online presence in 21 countries across Europe

Douglas has physical stores and online shops in 21 countries across Europe. In 2014, the German company said it would add erotic items to its product range in the future.