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Guillaume Motte has been named president and CEO of Sephora as the beauty retailer continues to expand internationally. He relocated from parent company LVMH’s fashion group, where he will serve as deputy chief executive under chairman and chief executive Sidney Toledano from May 2021.
It’s a return for Motte, whose first role at LVMH was at Sephora in 2018 as CEO and president of Europe and the Middle East, where he stayed for three years before moving to fashion. Before joining LVMH, he was CEO of French menswear retailer Celio, and before that CEO of Dubai-based lifestyle retailer AI Tayer Trends and managing director of retail chain Fnac, which is part of At PPR (now known as Kering) time.
Motte succeeds Chris de Lapuente, who has held the position since former CEO Martin Brok unexpectedly quit Sephora in June. De Lapuente will now continue as chairman and CEO of LVMH’s select retail division, which includes Sephora, department store Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, luxury travel retailer DFS, cruise shopping destination Starboard Cruise Services and gourmet restaurant La Grande grocery store
“I am delighted to welcome Guillaume back to Sephora as President and CEO. His experience working with Sidney Toledano at LVMH Fashion Group over the past two years has broadened his experience and deepened his already extensive global retail and commercial skills,” de Lapuente said in a post on LVMH LinkedIn. “I have no doubt that he will continue to build Sephora into the extraordinary premium beauty retailer we envision.”
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Sephora’s Growth Plan
What’s next for the beauty retail giant? Sylvie Moreau, president of Sephora Europe and the Middle East, said physical stores still have an important role to play.
Sephora operates in 35 countries with more than 2,700 stores. In October, the retailer reopened an online store in Britain, its second attempt to break into the market after a brief run between 2000 and 2005. The company acquired UK retailer Feelunique in 2021 and moved the website to Sephora.co.uk to leverage its existing local consumer base. In June, Sephora launched its “China Acceleration” business incubator program aimed at developing premium Chinese beauty brands, and the company said expansion in Latin America and Asia was also underway.
Since the lifting or easing of pandemic restrictions, the company has been focusing on a dual digital and brick-and-mortar expansion, with an emphasis on brick-and-mortar stores.Sylvie Moreau, president of Sephora Europe and Middle East, told fashion business Earlier this month, she hoped to boost her profile as a brand incubator for independent brands.
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