The Hut Group homes in on Christophe Robin

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Apr 18, 2019

Manchester-based Hut Group has acquired Christophe Robin, a luxury natural haircare brand, as part of a series of major investments  in beauty, technology and infrastructure.

The company, which increased its bank borrowing to $1bn (£766m) earlier this month, said the transaction represents a further strategic investment in its international beauty offering. Its portfolio also includes Lookfantastic.com (Europe’s largest online retailer of premium beauty products), and beauty brands including  Espa, Mio Skincare, Grow Gorgeous, Illamasqua and Ameliorate.

The Hut Group did not disclose the price it has paid for Christophe Robin but said the brand sits within an established and fast-growing segment of the beauty industry and has seen sales increase by over 40% for each of the last two years.

Established in Paris in 1999 by its namesake, celebrity colourist Christophe Robin, the brand offers products that are formulated with over 80% natural ingredients and are free from parabens, silicone, SLS, oxidants and ammonia.

It is stocked in multiple countries across North America, Europe and Asia through big-name retailers such as Sephora and Space NK, and has an online presence via Lookfantastic.com.

Matthew Moulding, chief executive officer of The Hut Group, commented: “Christophe Robin products are a perfect addition to THG’s portfolio of brands, with a strong ethos and positioning within the haircare market.

“We will leverage our world-class e-commerce platform, THG Ingenuity, and our global marketing structure to take the brand to new customers across the world. Natural beauty products are continuing to take the industry by storm and combined with the brand’s expertise in luxury haircare, this is an exciting time for us to invest in the brand, product development and people, to deliver the next stage of growth.”

Christophe Robin, founder, added: “Together with my CEO and partner Géraldine Hieronimus, we are proud of growing the Christophe Robin brand by an average of over 40% over the last three years and exporting our unique natural luxury French hair care products to more than 35 countries. I am excited to see my brand continue its adventure going forward with The Hut Group. I am looking forward to seeing Christophe Robin continue to innovate and grow with The Hut Group’s strong resources.”

BEAUTY INVESTMENTS

The Hut Group has become one of the leading wellbeing and beauty retail groups in the UK thanks to an ambitious acquisition strategy. In the past few years, the group has snapped up several makeup and skincare brands supported by several bank facilities.

Earlier this month, the company also welcomed Shanghai Pudong Development Bank as an investor, reflecting its growing presence in Asian markets which generate over 20% of group sales.

Ultimately, The Hut Group wants to become the global digital leader across the beauty and wellbeing sector. The opening of a new 800,000-square-foot distribution warehouse in Poland that will help the group operate faster and more efficiently is expected to drive forward the firm’s expansion plans.