Perfumeries Facial have opened three new stores in Barcelona in the facilities of San Remo, a historic brand that had strong roots among the Barcelona public. The perfumery's objective, however, is not to keep only these stores —in Provença, Passeig de Sant Gervasi and Comte Borrell—, but to pay homage to the historic brand and integrate some of its workers into these new openings: "We didn't just want to open three more stores, but to give continuity from Facial to the history of San Remo, which is already part of the identity of different neighborhoods of Barcelona", specified Sergi Martín, CEO of Bomari and Perfumeries Facial. With this decision, Perfumeries Facial reinforces the expansion plan of the Bomari family group, which already exceeds forty stores in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, "in a context where specialized cosmetics and perfumery trade faces the closure of historic establishments", the company said in a statement.
The Catalan perfumery chain opens these new stores in Barcelona with the intention of intensifying its brand in the Catalan capital. The three locations are central and have a large influx of visitors, which makes the premises strategic points for the city's commerce. The operation has involved an investment of one million euros for Perfumeries Facial, which has also incorporated a significant part of San Remo's former staff into its organization. Under the motto, Thank you, San Remo; welcome Facial… The story continues, the brand wanted to give continuity to the history, in a context where more and more emblematic establishments have to close their doors in a city with fierce competition from large surfaces and foreign chains that corner them.
"We have incorporated part of their staff because we want to further boost local commerce and the quality of a sales service marked by the human factor. It is a way of paying homage to the history of San Remo and reinforcing our proximity expansion plan, with a network that already exceeds 40 stores and 200 employees, coinciding with the year that Barcelona is the European capital of local commerce," recalled the CEO of Bomari and Perfumeries Facial. Precisely, this image of Barcelona as a city of neighborhood commerce is one of the reasons that have driven this purchase by Perfumeries Facial. In this way, they can provide the usual services in new spaces and maintain the legacy of a brand like San Remo, with the opportunity for part of its workers not to lose their jobs. A way, then, to try to close this circle of Barcelona local commerce without major damage.
Selling locally
In a city like Barcelona, local establishments and large supermarkets coexist within the neighborhoods. However, even though Perfumeries Facial is part of the Bomari family group, with a staff of more than 200 employees, a network of more than 40 stores and a turnover of more than 26 million euros, with a sustained growth of 10% annually, they seek to work as a local business. That is why their strategy consists of a neighborhood perfumery model, with personalized advice and specialized beauty, as opposed to the impersonal sales of large supermarkets. In fact, their loyalty program Club Belleza&Hogar already has more than 150,000 members. In short, Perfumeries Facial expands its points of sale with a clear objective: to maintain the spirit of local commerce that Barcelona has. The new stores seek to approach the client in a more personal, more intimate, more neighborhood way and make them feel at home.