Douglas plans to open 200 stores and wants to go on the stock market again

Douglas is the leading omnichannel provider for premium beauty in Europe. Strengthening the successful omnichannel positioning and the consistent further development of the customer experience are at the heart of the corporate strategy. In the 2022/23 financial year, Douglas generated sales of 4.1 billion euros, an increase of 12.1%. The company’s goal is to reach the 5 billion sales mark by 2026.

The medium-term goal is to increase Group sales (net) at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 7% and to achieve an adjusted EBITDA margin of around 18.5% with typical year-on-year fluctuations, the company announced in a statement.
The financial year got off to a positive start thanks to the good results of the omnichannel strategy: Store sales (net) increased by 7.1% while the e-com business grew by 10.7% compared to the previous year.

Douglas generates around a third of its sales online, which is why the expansion of brick-and-mortar stores is part of the strategy for the coming years: more than 200 stores are to be opened by the end of the 2025/26 financial year – half of them in Central Europe. In addition, renovation and modernization work is planned for 400 locations.

photo credit:douglas

Douglas is aiming to return to the stock market soon and preparations are said to be in full swing. The time could come in just a few weeks. According to reports, shares worth around one billion euros are to be issued. The prerequisite is a stable geopolitical situation, as crises and military conflicts largely deter investors. According to Volker Bosse, analyst at Baader Bank, there is little competition due to the low number of IPOs, but also a high level of attention.
Due to the realignment of the company, Douglas was delisted from the stock exchange in 2013 by financial investor Advent and the founding Kreke family as a minority shareholder and a majority stake was sold to private equity firm CVC in 2017. Before that, Douglas, whose roots go back to 1821, had been listed on the stock exchange as a family business since 1966.