France
www.chanel.com

Corporate Sales: $11.1 billion

Beauty Sales: $3.7 billion (est.)

Key Personnel: Alain Wertheimer, global chief executive officer and co-chairman; Gerard Wertheimer, co-chairman.

Major Products/Brands: Fragrance, Skincare and Color Cosmetics, including Chanel No. 5, Allure, Allure Homme, Coco Mademoiselle, Chance, No.19, Cristalle, Pour Monsieur, Antaeus, Les Exclusifs, Bleu de Chanel, Sublimage, Ultra Correction Lift and Line Repair, Hydramax + Active, Rouge Allure, Le Vernis, Inimitable, Joues Contrastes.

New Products: Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum Intense, Bleu de Chanel Le Parfum, Boy de Chanel makeup, Le mascara Volume Revolution, La Crème Mains Riche, Ultra Le Teint Velvet, Rouge Coco Gloss.

Comments: For Chanel’s second-ever annual report in its 110-year history, the iconic French company reported $11.1 billion in total sales in 2018, up 10.5% from the previous year, while net profits climbed 16.4% to $2.17 billion. Growth in Fragrance and Cosmetics was estimated at about a third of the total. The reported across-the-board growth was largely driven by strong growth in the Asia-Pacific region, with a 19.9% rise in annual sales, compared to a 7.7% rise in Europe and 7.4% in The Americas. Perhaps this success was the source of a rumor in June 2019 that rival LVMH was looking to purchase Chanel, which it estimated to be a 100-billion-euro brand. LVMH’s interest supposedly grew out of the February death of Chanel’s longtime creative director Karl Lagerfeld, who passed away at age 85.

Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum Intense and Bleu de Chanel Le Parfum, as well as its first makeup line for men, Boy de Chanel, launched in South Korea last September, all contributed to growth in the company’s Fragrance and Beauty division. Le mascara Volume Revolution was called “a breakthrough 3D technology in makeup.”

As with most companies on our Top 20 list, sustainability is becoming more of a priority for consumer engagement. In this regard, late in 2018, Chanel invested in Sulapac, a startup company in Finland, that makes sustainable packaging products based on a biodegradable, microplastic-free trademarked material made from FSC-certified wood chips and natural binders. The material can be mass-produced with the same equipment as plastic.

In December, Chanel reformulated their Le Lift skincare range. Introduced in three new textures; the jars also made a splash with a new rosy beige tone rather than the previous solid black.

At the end of 2018, Chanel employed more than 25,000 people worldwide—double the number from 2008.

News of Note in 2019: Packaging news continued for the global retailer in 2019 when Chanel launched a limited edition of Chanel No°5 Eau De Parfum “dressed” in red, reportedly one of Gabrielle Chanel’s favorite colors. The bottle was created by Verescence, said to have the “exclusive expertise in producing red glass,” and exclusively made by them for more than 30 years. The striking flacon was awarded a 2019 Fragrance Foundation award for Best Packaging-Women’s. The iconic brand also received an award for Fragrance of the Year, Men’s Luxury, for Chanel Bleu De Chanel Parfum; as well as Media Campaign of the Year, Men’s—Chanel Blue De Chanel Parfum.

In March, Chanel expanded its Boy de Chanel male makeup range to Hong Kong.

With growth in the Asia/Pacific region pretty much assured, in August, Chanel opened a flagship store for its fragrance and beauty lines on Tmall and Tmall Luxury Pavilion, Alibaba Group’s dedicated platform for luxury and premium brands.

Also, this past summer, the luxury brand announced that actress Margot Robbie would be the face of its new scent—Gabrielle Chanel Essence—scheduled for release this Fall.