L'Occitane International sales boosted by China

By

Sarah Ahssen

Published
Apr 24, 2018

For the fiscal year 2017/18 ended 31st March 2018, L'Occitane International (owner of L'Occitane en Provence, Melvita, Erborian and others) reported net revenues of 1.31 billion euros, a 0.3% decline compared to the prior year. This modest fall can, however, be explained in part by the negative effect of unfavourable exchange rates, as sales rose 4.6% in constant currencies. Sales in France totalled 102 million euros, accounting for 7.7% of the group's global sales, up 1.7% from the previous year.  

With revenues rising to 159.1 million euros,a 20.5% increase in local currencies, the company's operations in China saw the largest growth over the course of the year, followed by Brazil, up 11.3% to 60.2 million euros, and the United states, where sales revenue rose 8.8% to 172.1 million euros, pushed in particular by the company's acquisition of Limelight. 

Japan is still the group's largest market and saw a 0.1% rise in revenues to 218.9 million euros. 

During the year, the group's online sales, which are conducted both via its recently relaunched e-shops and through digital marketplaces, grew 19.2%, accounting for 13.7% of L'Occitane International's total direct-to-consumer sales. Over the course of the year, the group also carried out a net total of 41 store openings and currently operates 1,555 boutiques around the world, including 82 in France.