Le Labo Opens First Mainland China Store in Shanghai
SHANGHAI — Le Labo‘s first mainland China store opened last week in a stand-alone shikumen building in Xintiandi, a retail hot spot in downtown Shanghai.
The two-story building, a former historical Shikumen “Open House” Museum that showcased the lifestyle of Old Shanghainese in the 1920s, was transformed by the Estée Lauder Cos.-owned fragrance brand into a Le Labo flagship, which showcases a wide range of Le Labo products and also boasts a vegan bakery and café.
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Staying consistent with Le Labo’s vintage-inspired wabi-sabi retail aesthetic, the store preserves the building’s original wooden ceiling and embellished window panels while displaying curiosities such as an old rotary telephone, a vintage safe and a typewriter.
On the first floor, purposely distressed tiled walls, vintage cabinets and a bathtub-turned washing sink, coupled with subdued lighting emanating from vintage lightbulbs, complete the store’s crafty interior.
Seventeen of the brand’s 19 signature scents, body, hair care and skin care products, as well as the brand’s bestselling candles, are available in the Shanghai store.
Guests walking up to the second floor are welcomed by “The Fragrance Organ,” a corner recreating the Le Labo perfumers’ workstation. The vegan café and a reading area, featuring plush couches and titles that inspired the Le Labo aesthetic, complete the second floor.
Known for its freshly poured perfumes, Le Labo is still awaiting the local fire department’s approval before the Shanghai store sales associates, or “Souls,” can execute the ritualistic sealing process.
“The introduction of Le Labo, a well-known perfume brand, will further enrich and strengthen the brand matrix of Le Labo in China,” said Jiayu Fan, president and chief executive officer of Le Labo China.
“We are confident that the brand will become an engine of growth for Estée Lauder Cos. in the perfume sector and for the overall business,” Fan added.
For Estée Lauder — which saw its net sales decline 12 percent year-over-year to $3.75 billion in the third quarter ending March 31, citing slow travel retail recovery — has found a bright spot in the fragrance segment, which includes Jo Malone London, Le Labo, and products from Tom Ford Beauty. The segment managed to deliver double-digit growth in the March period.
Le Labo was founded in 2006 by Eddie Roschi and Fabrice Penot in downtown New York before being acquired by Estée Lauder in 2014.
The cult perfumer currently boosts 78 boutiques and more than 385 points-of-sale in more than 43 countries.
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