EB Florals by Eric Buterbaugh is blooming at home and abroad. The perfume purveyor helmed by its namesake celebrity florist is headed to Le Bon Marché on Aug. 29, its first retailer outside of North America, with eight fragrances, six candles and a sampling kit priced from $70 to $495. The European move is part of a highly controlled retail expansion that has seen EB Florals break into eight doors in the U.S. and Canada, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and its flagship location in Los Angeles, with five more domestic doors coming soon: two Saks Fifth Avenue outposts, The Webster in Miami and Costa Mesa, Calif., and the Neapolitan in Chicago.
“I think our concept — the most beautiful floral fragrances the world — is universal, but we’ll see,” said Fabrice Croisé, chief executive officer of EB Florals, which recently received a minority investment from Puig. He continued that the brand isn’t changing its approach to store growth as it stretches across the Atlantic. “We have been successful with the current strategy, which is that of starting with target retailers in key markets. We are focused on building those relationships with our partners and determining the right markets to enter together,” said Croisé.
After concentrating on escalating its distribution in North America this year, Croisé noted EB Florals expects to turn its attention to Europe in 2017 and 2018 before setting its sights on the Middle East and Asia. Following Le Bon Marché, the brand is considering three European retailers to roll out to within the next 18 months. So far, its best-selling fragrances are Sultry Rose and Celestial Jasmine. A new fragrance, Kingston Osmanthus, will launch for holiday, as will four-wick candles in EB Florals’ rose, lavender and jasmine scents.
Croisé reported he’s happy with EB Florals’ results at retail to date. “Each of our counters [is] building their business at a rapid pace,” he said, adding, “We are pushing hard on ‘scent wardrobing’ and collection building. Our bottles and fragrances look beautiful side-by-side and customers seek to emulate our counter display at home.” He mentioned select stores, notably Saks in Houston, have already increased the brand’s counter space, while others, specifically Bergdorf Goodman, anticipate doing so in the near future.
Going into the important holiday gifting season, during which Bergdorf’s will feature EB Florals’ signature scented rooster in its catalog, Croisé is bullish on the prospects for the brand. He said, “The U.S. will be in great need of regaining its serenity and its natural joyfulness. After such a presidential election, shopping might prove a very necessary therapy.”