Alex Trelinski
DOUGLAS Perfumes are to shut 103 stores across Spain which will see up to 600 people lose their jobs.
The company says that the move is down to a change in customer habits as an increasing number of purchases are done online.
It added that the trend was growing before the COVID-19 pandemic struck last year.
The Douglas move mirrors other retailers like the Inditex group slimming down their shop networks in favour of online retailing.
It’s a dramatic U-turn from the perfume retailer after they bought two chains in Spain from Bodybell and Perfumerias If in 2017 to give it a portfolio of 382 stores.
Douglas operate 2,400 shops across Europe with around 500 set to close.
The outlets to be shut in Spain have yet to be announced and are a familiar sight in many shopping centres.
Douglas said in a statement: “We have worked out which shops will be closed based on an analysis of sales, with figures used before the pandemic, as well as current statistics.”
“We’ve also studied economic viability, the development potential for each store, and also how many other perfumeries there are in each area,” they added.
The retailer has notified unions of their plans and a consultation period will formally start in late February.
The statement continued: “We have the utmost respect for all of our staff and we want to reach the best solution for everybody involved.”
