In the meantime he displays his confidence

First day of the balances in the chic district of Soho in Manhattan. At the intersection of Spring and Mercer Street, a poster on the L'Occitane store display attracts the eye. It shows a man in a blue working alone in a huge field of lavender, Crouching in a still. Connected New-Yorkaises come and out of the store, arms loaded bags of beauty products. Parged color olivier, furniture in natural wood, hand-woven baskets and farandole of soaps, creams, serums, oils and perfumes to the glory of lavender, olive oil... No doubt, L'Occitane is a Provencal enclave planted in American Earth, visit informed Aesthete and love tourists of the South of the France.

The man in showcase, is Olivier Baussan, the founder of the brand, rooted as in the landscape of the Highlands of the Durance, South of the France. His adventure is celebrating today its thirty years. L'Occitane is an epic to the glory of the scents, colours and materials of the countries of the Mistral. A poetry which, after three decades, generates a turnover of EUR 260 million, employs 2,300 people in the world and disseminates via a network of 650 stores. With 80 of its sales abroad, the sign conquered a large public American and Asian. All lip cream of hands to Shea butter or its anti-aging to the immortal have become international bestsellers.

It is far the beginning time, illustrated by a photograph of Olivier fields. At the time, in 1976, student in letters, fan of Giono and Lacan, retrieves an old still to distill the Rosemary, Sage, lavender... "I had to 100 kilograms of Rosemary to 1 litre: three hours of work", he recalled. This passionate manufactures hand the first bubble bath with the coconut he delivers to the drug in a hearse of recovery. At his side, Yves Miloud, a buddy naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist (always consultant of the mark to this day), helps make products. Its real business experience begins at the Salon Marjolaine in Paris: the artisan trades are its products against honey. First store opens in Volx, near Manosque, in 1980, a second to Levallois-Perret in 1986, a third rue Vavin in Paris in 1992. SOAP, previously traveling, finally arises to Manosque in 1987 and the number of employees grows up to 100 employees.

Respect the spirit of the beginnings

The 1990s opened a darker period. Indebted, Olivier Baussan used financial and let in Natural capital, a subsidiary of Indosuez. The founder and employees is accommodated flying less craft and financial difficulty. Until the day when Austrian businessman just play the purchasers: after a career at the head of beauty products, Reinold Geiger packaging enterprises agrees to straighten the company. President and CEO of the Occitan since 1995, it was he who initiated the current policy of internationalization in way of support. Alone in China, a whole new market, a dozen stores were germinated in 2005, and 15 are planned this year. Asia recorded the highest growth of the brand: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Viet Nam are long time fans markets. The United States represent 33 of sales.

For Reinold Geiger, this growth could rely on a timeless brand and "trans-mode". It already provides 1,500 to 2,000 outlets in five or ten years. But the choice of the cash even if Clarins took a small participation since 2001 is bold because some observers questioned the long-term solvency. While turnover regularly saves progressions of the order of 30. But at non-constant perimeter. And margins remain below the standards of the profession with a low 5 entered in box "profits". "Insufficient", admits Reinold Geiger. "Expected us rather than 10 figure that we will not reach one or two years before", he acknowledges. In the meantime, he displays his confidence. And prognostic billion euros of annual sales of here five or seven years.

In addition to the boutiques, L'Occitane is a point of honour not to lower the guard on the side of product development. The multinational has become SMEs don't forget excellence formulas, the refinement of the packagings that reputation. Product launches, retrofits of bestsellers, the event gift packages and range extensions move also rapidly. It follows from the collections of the R & D team and Olivier Baussan, always looking for new active principles, forgotten fragrances, stories to illustrate.

Because, until now, L'Occitane has been miraculously respect the spirit of his debut. Its values are those of the baby boomers Americans, a generation of their affluent fifties, philanthropists, attached to the preservation of the environment and the share of the wealth. Values which are now also the doomsday, invested in the respect for nature.

"Terroir, the true taste".

If Olivier Baussan, fifty-three years, has more than 4 of the capital he has created a family adventure parallel, devoted to his favourite tree, olive & Cie (68 stores) , there remains the spiritual leader and the highly respected Artistic Director of the company. Surrounded by a short marketing team, mounted between Paris and the Provence, it ensures the identity of the labels and packagings that it continues to draw by hand, her sister is responsible for transcribe the visuals to the computer. L'Occitane, recalled, is a perilous exercise of style. Should know rub "terroir, taste of the true" trend in contemporary light, evoke the Sun and nature, without lapsing into the cartoon "petanque and farigoule". This humanist is attentive to what no newline cannibalizes a previous range, and especially that the identity of the trade mark is not diluted in the effects of mode. Unnecessary to explore everything raw for example: the Mediterranean and its inexhaustible treasures are sufficient. Everything is well managed heart. The immortal, humble yellow flower of the edges of paths, is the last recruit. She is largely production teams. To feed its cream anti-aging network, the mark coupled with another top poet in colour, farmer in Corsica, Albrecht Kazerlinck. Result: three beautiful hectares of immortal certified Ecocert, anchored in the vicinity of Furiani, will provide this year the essential oil needed for the manufacture of the home of the New-Yorkaises cream. At the other end of the world, in Manosque, at the headquarters of the plant (20,000 square metres to date), the old still can stand proudly at the entrance. Symbol of the intact values of a trade mark which, for thirty years, reinvents the luxury beauty, without renouncing roots.