Ex-Rituals MD takes leadership role at France's Aroma-Zone as it preps UK/ROI debut
Former Rituals UK/Ireland MD Penny Grivea has taken up an identical position for Aroma-Zone as the French beauty brand prepares to launch in the UK, debuting its first store in London later this year.
Grivea led Rituals' UK and Ireland ops for over nine years from 2015 to create turnover of €170 million.
Under her leadership, Rituals undertook a major UK expansion drive over the last few years including store openings at Liverpool One, Glasgow's Silverburn, Chelmsford's Bond Street, Watford's Atria mall, Ashford Designer Outlet, Belfast's Victoria Square, Merryhill, and London Designer Outlet.
Prior to Rituals, she held leadership roles at Georg Jensen, Follie Folli and Korres Natural Products.
Latest financials show Aroma-Zone achieved sales growth of 56% in 2024, up from 43% in 2023. The brand, which specialises in natural cosmetic products, also continues domestic expansion with it planing to open around 10 stores in France in cities such as Rouen, Cannes, and the Paris region.
In a post on LinkedIn, Grivea announced the move noting Aroma-Zone is focused on creating 'high-quality, natural solutions that are accessible to all'.
She said the brand's range 'spans powerful actives, pure botanicals and everyday essentials' and comes 'with a deep care for both people and planet… committed to ethical sourcing, sustainable practices and affordability'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Art market banking on new generation of collectors
Some big transactions were concluded last week during Art Basel, the world's top contemporary art fair, notably by London's Annely Juda Fine Art gallery, which sold a David Hockney painting for between $13 million and $17 million, without disclosing the exact price. The David Zwirner gallery sold a sculpture by Ruth Asawa for $9.5 million and a Gerhard Richter painting for $6.8 million. However, prices did not reach the heights achieved in 2022, when the art market was in full swing. Back then, a sculpture by French-American artist Louise Bourgeois was purchased for $40 million. "The market is certainly softer," Art Basel's chief executive Noah Horowitz told AFP, though major sales still happen at such fairs "despite, somehow, all that's going on in the world". Switzerland's biggest bank UBS and the research and consulting firm Arts Economics prepared a report for the fair. According to their estimates, the art market slowed in 2023, then fell by 12 percent globally in 2024, to $57.5 billion, with the decline particularly affecting works valued at more than $10 million. "In the next six to 12 months, I don't see any changes on the horizon," said Hans Laenen, an art market specialist at insurer AXA XL. In a time of economic and geopolitical uncertainties, "investors are turning very strongly to gold", he told AFP. In the art sector, behaviour is "more conservative" among both buyers and sellers, who prefer to wait before putting works on the market in the current climate, he continues. "The number of transactions is increasing," but in "lower price segments," he noted. According to the insurance firm Hiscox, the number of lots sold for less than $50,000 increased by 20 percent in auction houses in 2024, while very highly priced works saw a sharp drop, indicating a change in collector behaviour. New generation According to Jean Gazancon, chief executive of art insurer Arte Generali, a younger generation of collectors is entering the market. "We are insuring more and more 30-somethings for collections of 300,000, 500,000, or a million euros," he noted. "These are successful start-uppers, investment bankers, lawyers, or sometimes people who have inherited," and they begin their collections "very young", sometimes making "very radical" choices, he said. UBS expects that trend to increase. According to its projections, an unprecedented wealth transfer will take place over the next 20 to 25 years with the general ageing of the population. Globally, around $83 trillion in assets will change hands, it says, meaning "there's a whole new generation of collectors coming to the market with different buying patterns", said Eric Landolt, global co-head of the family advisory, art and collecting department at UBS. The four-day Art Basel fair, which closed on Sunday, featured more than 280 galleries presenting works by around 4,000 artists. It is a must for collectors, who can buy everything from Pablo Picasso paintings to very recent works. The Thaddaeus Ropac galleries notably offered a portrait of Pope Leo XIV by the Chinese-French artist Yan Pei-Ming. It also highlights young artists, such as Joyce Joumaa, 27, who jointly won the 2025 Baloise Art Prize for her work focusing on the energy crisis in Lebanon. © 2025 AFP
Fashion Network
8 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Prada parts ways with CEO Gianfranco D'Attis by 'mutual agreement'
D'Attis was appointed to CEO at the Milan-headquartered firm in 2022, a newly created role at Prada, which sits alongside sister brand Miu Miu, as well as Church's, Car Shoe, Marchesi 1824, and Luna Rossa, in the Prada Group fold. In April, the group also confirmed it was acquiring fellow Italian luxury label Versace from Capri Holdings for 1.25 billion euros. Reporting to Guerra, D'Attis's recruitment came at a time of significant restructuring for the company, which saw the now former CEO replace chairman Patrizio Bertelli and Miuccia Prada, who were previously co-CEOs of the group and of the Prada brand. Prior to Prada, the luxury veteran served as president of Christian Dior Couture Americas, following a stint as international managing director of Jaeger-LeCoultre, part of the Richemont group, where he spent most of his early career. From 2003, D'Attis worked for watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen for eleven years, first as brand director for the Middle East, India and Turkey, before taking over as head of the United States and Canada from 2011. In 2014, he moved to Richemont's fashion darling Chloé as international director, where he led the strategic development of the French brand, as well as its commercial growth worldwide. Four years later, in August 2018, he returned to the watchmaking sector, this time working for another Richemont brand, Jaeger-LeCoultre. D'Attis's departure comes just hours after the Prada brand showcased its latest men's collection for the Spring/Summer 2026 season as part of Milan Fashion Week on Sunday. Tellingly, the CEO was not present. In its most recent trading update, Prada Group saw first-quarter net revenue rise 13% at constant exchange rates, held up by Miu Miu, which retail sales soar 60% year-over-year. Prada sales, however, were relatively flat during the three months.
Fashion Network
8 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Prada CEO Gianfranco D'Attis to step down by 'mutual agreement'
D'Attis was appointed to CEO at the Milan-headquartered firm in 2022, a newly created role at Prada, which sits alongside sister brand Miu Miu, as well as Church's, Car Shoe, Marchesi 1824, and Luna Rossa, in the Prada Group fold. In April, the group also confirmed it was acquiring fellow Italian luxury label Versace from Capri Holdings for 1.25 billion euros. Reporting to Guerra, D'Attis's recruitment came at a time of significant restructuring for the company, which saw the now former CEO replace chairman Patrizio Bertelli and Miuccia Prada, who were previously co-CEOs of the group and of the Prada brand. Prior to Prada, the luxury veteran served as president of Christian Dior Couture Americas, following a stint as international managing director of Jaeger-LeCoultre, part of the Richemont group, where he spent most of his early career. From 2003, D'Attis worked for watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen for eleven years, first as brand director for the Middle East, India and Turkey, before taking over as head of the United States and Canada from 2011. In 2014, he moved to Richemont's fashion darling Chloé as international director, where he led the strategic development of the French brand, as well as its commercial growth worldwide. Four years later, in August 2018, he returned to the watchmaking sector, this time working for another Richemont brand, Jaeger-LeCoultre. D'Attis's departure comes just hours after the Prada brand showcased its latest men's collection for the Spring/Summer 2026 season as part of Milan Fashion Week on Sunday. Tellingly, the CEO was not present. In its most recent trading update, Prada Group saw first-quarter net revenue rise 13% at constant exchange rates, held up by Miu Miu, which retail sales soar 60% year-over-year. Prada sales, however, were relatively flat during the three months.
